Domino Effect
by boswifedeb
Summary: Fresh from taking down Texas tycoon Donovan Lynch, Matt hits LA looking for his next target: Vasil Barkowski, the Albanian who arranged the hit that has been out on him for months. Will the take-down of one man lead to the next? Or will the contract on the PI be fulfilled? **Immediately follows "Under Texas Skies"**Rated T for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

" **Domino Effect"**

 _**Immediately follows "Under Texas Skies"**_

" _The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man."_

 _Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn_

 **01**

The G-550 swooped down from the clear California sky, landing gently and then taxiing to the hangar. Two men, both wearing jeans and cowboy hats, leaned against an old black Dodge Power Wagon and watched as their boss shutdown the engines. In just a minute he was emerging with a well-worn bag on his shoulder and a big smile on his face.

"How're you boys, doin'?" He shook with both of the men.

The elder of the two, Lamar Pettybone was all smiles. "Sure good to see you, Houston. We were awful worried about you when CJ told us about your back."

"It's fine now." The tall cowboy turned his attention to his other ranch hand, Bo Harper. "So Bo - you gotten into anymore poker games with girl bikers?"

"Dang it, boy! I _was_ glad to see you till you went and opened up that can of worms!"

"Thanks for bringing the truck for me."

"No problem. I sure hate that your other truck got messed up so bad." He was referring to what Matt had called the Dream Truck - a midnight blue crew cab Ford that had been turned into Swiss cheese by a man shooting a Tech 9, one of the would-be killers who had been hired by Albanian businessman Vasil Barkowski. Matt had just taken down one of the people that had hired Barkowski to have him taken out - Donovan Biggs Lynch. Lynch had rolled - much to everyone's surprise - and turned witness against F. Patterson Lockwood, developer of the Cicero properties that had been burned down by an act of arson over a year earlier in Los Angeles.

"Well, I've still got old Faithful here to take up the slack. There was too much damage to the other one to justify fixing it." He glanced at his watch. "Guess I better get moving. I'm supposed to meet Don MacLemore in half an hour. Catch up with y'all later. And thanks again."

"No problem." The pair walked over to the other pickup and left for the ranch that was nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Matt climbed behind the wheel of the truck and bumped the key, the quiet rumble of the engine bringing a smile to his face. He and that old truck had been through a lot together: it had been his very first vehicle and along with his best friend Chuck Wylie, he had rebuilt the engine at the age of fifteen.

The drive to the Fire Marshal's Office was uneventful - something that Matt was grateful for and didn't take for granted. With a hit out on him he was constantly on the alert these days for anything that seemed out of place. Something as innocuous as a piece of trash in the road was treated as a possible IED, a holdover from his days in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had thought that constantly having to assess threats was a thing of the past.

After parking in the lot and swiping his Fire Department ID, Matt entered the building and made his way to Don's office. The secretary outside the door smiled and told him to go right in. He tapped on the door and stuck his head inside.

"There he is! Get on in here!" Don MacLemore came around the desk and shook the younger man's hand. "You don't look any worse for wear."

"Thanks. Rich, how're you doing?" He turned to shake hands with the man who was the very reason that he was now a certified fire investigator and consultant to the department.

"Doing better now that you got Lynch to turn on Lockwood."

"So have y'all picked him up yet?"

"Yup. Got him this morning. He's cooling his heels in lockup. Now if the judge will deny bail…"

"Really." The three sat down. "So he hasn't said anything at all yet?"

Rich laughed. "Oh, he's said plenty - none of which was fit for human hearing. All kinds of wonderful swear words and observations of my family tree. I snugged those cuffs down tight, lemme tell you."

MacLemore leaned back in his chair, swivelling slightly. "His arraignment is tomorrow morning at ten."

"I'll be there."

After going over some of the evidence that they now had on the developer, Matt left and went to see an unlikely brother: LAPD Lieutenant Michael Hoyt. Though the pair had gotten off to a rough start they were now as close as brothers. Matt had even named one of his twin sons Michael and asked Hoyt to be godfather to the boy. He parked in the garage of the Central Precinct, clipped his department ID on his shirt and as usual, jogged up the steps to the fourth floor. He entered the lobby of the Major Case Squad and a round of applause and whistles went up among the detectives in the squad room. Detective Gabriella Giovanni approached.

"Long time, no see. How are CJ and the kids?"

"Well, she's got a leg in a cast at the moment. But the kids are just fine."

"The lieutenant told me about that. Scary what can happen with a storm."

Just then, Michael Hoyt came out of his office. "Decided to slum it did you, PI?" He and Matt shook hands and then embraced. "You look pretty good. Got that beard again I see."

"Yeah, and you're looking older than ever." He ducked as the cop feigned a punch.

"Let's go in here and have a chat. Giovanni…" He motioned for the detective to join them. Matt entered the office and as usual, kicked back on the couch. "Lee is in your van watching Barkowski at the moment. Gabby here will take over late this afternoon."

Houston looked to the squad's newest detective. "I sure appreciate it."

"Barkowski is a sleaze bag. The pleasure is all mine."

"So obviously he hasn't noticed the van."

Hoyt propped his feet up on the desk and shook his head. "Apparently not. We've been very careful to make sure that the color gets changed up whenever they change shifts plus they park in a different spot."

The PI nodded. "We're still hopeful that Lynch will spill on Barkowski like he did Lockwood. Truthfully, I think he's scared of him."

Michael took a sip of coffee and looked at his friend. "You said that CJ had found out something about the Mexican part of the hit?"

"Uh huh…" He paused for a moment, considering Gabby and then went ahead. "Diego Mendoza is the one in Mexico."

"The head of Las Serpientes?" Gabby was somewhat surprised.

"As it turns out he's also my cousin." He waited in the ensuing silence.

"Holy...you're joking right?" Michael sat straight up in his chair.

"Nope. My mom's side of the family. First cousin."

"Damn."

The information had taken Gabby totally by surprise. "Your mom…"

"Since you've been going out on a limb for me you deserve to know the truth: Bill Houston adopted me when I was just a baby. My father was Wade Mattlock and my mother Carmen was half Comanche and half Mexican."

"Wow…"

"So what are your plans?" Hoyt took a sip of his coffee.

"Well…" Houston thought for a minute. "I'm supposed to be at Lockwood's arraignment tomorrow, but right this minute there really isn't anything else that I can do. Think I might go to the ranch and see about Buck. He's been giving Bo and Lamar some problems." With that he stood up and stretched. "Holler at me if you need me."

"Will do." Sitting back up the lieutenant sighed as he began looking at the paperwork that littered his desk.

The drive to the ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains was uneventful and as he always did now, Matt was constantly looking for any problems that might present themselves. He punched the code in at the security gate and drove right past the house and down to the barn. There was no sign of Bo and Lamar and he figured that they were out somewhere on the property working. As he exited the truck he heard a familiar sound, one that he had missed the last few months. His horse Cricket had spied him and was making the strange chirping noise that had earned her her name as she ran from the opposite side of the pasture toward him. He climbed up on the top rail of the fence and had a seat just as she reached him. "Hey, baby girl. How ya doin'?" The horse was eagerly rubbing her head against Matt and swiped the side of his face with her tongue. In just a second she was joined by her mate Jasper who was nearly as excited to see him. Buck also came at a trot as did the other four horses in the lot. He paid attention to each of them and then slid onto the back of Cricket for a ride around the pasture.

When he climbed back onto the fence he whistled and called Buck's name and began stroking the horse's jaw. "I heard you've been being hard-headed, boy. What's that all about?" His training of the horse had come to a screeching halt a few months earlier after the bone chip in his back had left him temporarily paralyzed while in Texas. "You're fixing to have a new home and trainer. I think Ben will get you on the right track. I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long." He continued to pet on the horse for a few minutes and then turned when he heard the sound of a vehicle up at the house. A small pickup had pulled in and Matt left the horses and drove his own truck back up to the house where he was met by Paul Novelli. The oldest son of Matt's friend Vince Novelli was attending USC and used the Houston's ranch as a home away from home.

"Hey, Uncle Matt!" The two embraced. "Looking good."

"Thanks. How's school going?" The pair entered the kitchen of the house and while Matt rummaged in the refrigerator for a bottle of water, Paul filled him in on the ups and downs in the life of an aerospace engineering major.


	2. Chapter 2

**02**

Matt arrived at the courthouse at 9:30 the next morning and was cleared through security. He met up with MacLemore and Holt in the hallway outside of the courtroom. "Boy, somebody's looking snazzy today. Kind of makes me feel underdressed." Rich laughed as Matt pretended to straighten his tie and the sleeves of his suit jacket.

"Wasn't sure this monkey suit would still fit. Madre Rosa and CJ are some darn good cooks." He laughed along with the others before they filed into the courtroom and had a seat. The assistant DA that was prosecuting the case approached and was introduced to Matt.

"Thanks to your hard work with Lynch we've got a really good shot at putting Lockwood away for a long time." Jennifer Garnett shook his hand.

"It was a long time coming."

The arraignment got underway shortly and as the DA presented her views on why Lockwood should be denied bail, the audience in the room remained quiet. There were several TV crews and reporters present and although Matt hadn't seen her, he sincerely hoped that Tamara Placer wasn't among them.

After Garnett stated her case Lockwood's defense attorney stood. "Your Honor, my client is a well-known businessman in the community. He owns many properties and is in no way a flight risk. We ask that a reasonable bail be granted."

Judge Marsha Wynwood removed her glasses and looked at both attorneys. "Mr. York, your client stands accused of several crimes in this case, one of which is accessory to murder during the course of another felony."

"Yes, your Honor, but we feel-"

"Bail is denied. Mr. Lockwood will remain in custody until trial. Court adjourned." The gavel smacked down and there was a flurry of conversation from Lockwood's table between himself and the lawyer as the guards assigned to him began putting him in cuffs for the return to the jail. He turned to his left and saw Houston, Holt, and MacLemore as they stood to exit the courtroom and the look that he gave them was pure hatred. The guards removed him and led him out the side door. York approached Garnett and the three investigators.

"Mr. Lockwood would like to have a meeting with you to discuss a possible deal." It was apparent that he had been operating under the impression that his client would be set free on bail. To say the least, he looked unnerved.

Garnett looked to the three men and Don MacLemore nodded his assent. "I think that can be arranged."

"My client would like to talk today."

Once again Garnett looked to the Fire Marshal and he shrugged and nodded. "How about two o'clock this afternoon?"

"I'll be sure to let him know." York turned and quickly made his way out of the courtroom, refusing to answer any questions from the press, which Matt now saw to his displeasure included Tamara Placer.

"Son of a…" He spoke under his breath.

"Oh, great." MacLemore rolled his eyes. "I think no comment should be a great answer. How about you two?"

"Works for me." Holt led the way up the aisle as the other two followed.

Leaning over where only MacLemore could hear him Matt spoke, "I'll meet y'all at the jail about 1:30." The answer was a nod and the PI made quick work of exiting the building. He climbed behind the wheel of his truck and went to the offices of Houston Investigations. As he rode up in the elevator he thought about how much time had passed since he was last there. He stepped into the lobby and went up to the stained glass doors, punched in the security code, and unlocked them. He immediately locked them back once inside and reset the alarm.

After going behind the bar and starting a pot of coffee, he descended the stairs to the gym and went back to change out of the suit and tie, preferring to put on a pair of blue jeans and a red and white striped oxford cloth shirt along with duty boots.

Back upstairs he poured himself a cup of coffee and strolled out onto the patio looking out over the city. He pulled out his phone and dialed the Texas ranch.

"Houston residence." Madre Rosa had been the one to pick up.

"Hey, how's it going this morning?"

"The morning was good. Now it's afternoon." She gave a laugh.

"Is CJ resting?"

"I believe she's in the den. Hang on."

There was a moment's pause and then his heart leapt as his wife's voice came across the line. "Hey, Cowboy! How did it go?"

"Great. The judge denied bail and now Lockwood wants to talk this afternoon." He took a sip and changed the subject. "So how are you feeling?"

"Itchy." She knew he would laugh and wasn't disappointed.

"Tell you what: I'll get you a whole barrel of that lotion you like so much - the one that smells like Tahiti."

"How about we just get the cast off and go to Tahiti?" Both were thinking back to their honeymoon at the resort that Matt had given her for a wedding present.

"Won't hear me complain. I think we could use a vacation."

"What's the matter? Getting allergic to work?"

"No, but I am getting irritated with a certain reporter showing up everywhere I go."

"Wonder how she found out you were there?"

"I have no idea. Wish like hell she hadn't."

"Just try to ignore her, hon."

"I'm doing better than that: I'm at the office with the door locked and the alarm on." There was a roar of laughter on the other end of the line.

"Surely she won't break that restraining order again."

"Better not." He looked at the phone as it beeped. "Lee's on the other line. I'll holler at you later, Babe. Love you."

"You, too. Be good."

He switched over and answered the young detective's call. "Hey, bud."

"The LT told me you got back yesterday."

"Yeah, had to go to Lockwood's arraignment this morning. He wants to have a sit-down this afternoon. The judge said no way on the bail."

"There's some good news. Anyway, we haven't gotten diddly on Barkowski."

"Yeah, that's what Hoyt said."

"So Lynch wouldn't say anything about him but he did about Lockwood?"

"Uh huh. Think he's scared of him."

"He's a creepy one alright." Changing the subject he grinned. "Bridget still wants you to tell us if we're having a boy or a girl."

"Ah hah. Well, maybe y'all could come over for some supper tonight. Think she can handle a steak?"

"I'm sure she can - maybe five or six." Both men laughed and Matt thought back to CJ and her big appetite when she was pregnant with the twins .

The two continued to talk for a few minutes and then Lee had to go out on a call. The PI started to take a seat and then silently chided himself for not being cautious enough as he went back into the office. He could have easily been a target for one of Barkowski's hired goons while on the penthouse office's patio.

Sitting down on the couch, he pulled up BABY, the computer that he used in his work while in the office. The message on the screen popped up as always: HIYA, BOSS!

"Howdy to you, too, BABY." He pulled out a flash drive containing the family tree information that CJ had dug up for him and began reading. He hadn't read completely through the details while in Texas.

Jaime Leonardo Mendoza had been Matt's grandfather, a dairy farmer in Chihuahua whose humble beginnings and hard work had led to financial success. Unfortunately, only one of his sons - Arturo - took after him. He had gone missing when in his twenties at the same time as Jaime, with no sign of either since. The other son was Fernando Rodrigo Mendoza, the founder of Las Serpientes gang. Matt took another sip of coffee and considered the information. _Probably killed both of them to take over the family business._

Returning to the file, he looked for information on Jaime's wife - Matt's grandmother Topsana. According to CJ's research she had been born just outside of Lubbock, Texas and had moved to El Paso when she was eighteen for work. That's where she and Jaime had met. They were soon married in Mexico and settled down to start a family. There was no further information on her either. Sadly, he shook his head. Had Fernando killed everyone?

He read on to find that Fernando had married Ines Claudia Palomo from Sinaloa. Ines had borne three sons but only Diego had survived: the other two boys had died from the flu when four and six years old. She had died in 2010 from a heart attack.

Reading further he saw that Diego had never been married but had fathered a child when he himself was seventeen. His jaw dropped when he saw the name on the page: Jose Mariano Safronio. That was it. When Matt had helped Homeland Security Agent Chris Oakley out in Laredo he had shot the kid in the leg. He closed his eyes and thought back to the encounter, the whole scene playing out in his memory like a movie.

 _Taking a quick peek around the back bumper the PI got off a shot at one of the men, hitting him squarely between the eyes. A shout went up from the SUV and as another shooter tried to help their friend, Matt took aim and shot him in the right shoulder,_

 _spinning him around and causing him to hit his head on the open door of the vehicle._

 _The driver was trying to advance on Matt who fired three more shots in his direction. As the driver made another attempt, Houston shot him in the left thigh, causing the shooter to go down in a heap screaming. Oakley popped up and took out the remaining shooter with a shot to the belly._

 _While Oakley checked the two on the passenger side Houston checked the other two. The one that had been shot in the leg was crying. "Hold pressure on that." Not sure that he had understood, the PI repeated the phrase in Spanish. "Mantenga la presión en eso." The man nodded and held it as Matt pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut off the man's t-shirt, making a tourniquet out of it. "Who's the sniper?" Matt looked at the puddle of blood that was getting bigger around him as their backup arrived along with an ambulance._

" _El Tigre."_

The kid had bled out before getting to the hospital. Safronio was only seventeen.


	3. Chapter 3

**03**

At 1:15 that afternoon, Houston entered the Los Angeles County Jail at 450 Bauchet Street, the largest jail in the world. He presented his ID, signed in, and stored his pistol in the locker that was provided to him. Leaning against the wall he stood waiting for MacLemore and Holt who showed up a few minutes later.

"You okay?" Holt noticed that despite the fact that the case that they had worked so hard on was now coming together better than any of them had expected, the PI didn't seem at all happy.

"Yeah, fine." He gave the captain a quick smile, but his face immediately went back to the same expression.

"You suck at lying, man." The fireman shook his head as they were led into a room by one of the deputies. "What's up?"

"Tell you later." Matt looked up as Lockwood and his attorney entered the room along with Garnett. They all took a seat at the table. For someone who wanted to make a deal, the developer was shooting the people on the opposite side of the table some nasty looks. The ADA took charge.

"Mr. York, you said that Mr. Lockwood had some information for us?"

The defense attorney rifled through some papers in front of him. "He does. He agrees to share the information with the assurance that he will receive time off of any sentence that he might incur at trial."

"As I'm sure you're aware, Mr. Lockwood…" Jennifer Garnett looked the developer in the eye. "Your case has qualified under the special circumstances statutes."

"As a lawyer I'm well aware." He quickly turned his attention to Matt who had almost managed to stifle a snicker as he remembered that Lockwood had graduated at the bottom of his class from law school.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Houston?" The defense attorney seemed put out.

"No, no problem here." Although his face was now impassive, Matt had a twinkle in his eye - something that seemed to irritate Lockwood.

"Don't know what you think is so damn funny…" He began grumbling but was immediately shushed by his lawyer.

Don MacLemore looked between Matt and the developer, then spoke. "Mr. Lockwood, I'm sure that Miss Garnett will take any help that you give us into consideration at trial. Now what exactly did you have to say?"

Lockwood looked to the attorney who nodded and then leaned back in the chair. "Since Lynch came down on me, I'm going to return the favor. He and some other businessmen put out a hit on Houston."

The only one at the table who seemed surprised was Jennifer Garnett. "A hit?" She looked to Matt who seemed completely calm and relaxed.

Houston stared impassively at Lockwood. "Care to give some names?"

Lockwood glared at him. "There's a guy in Japan named Perrier. Plus a Mexican thug named Diego Mendoza. Maybe you've heard of him?" He gave a wicked smile to the PI.

"Matter of fact I have." The fact that Matt was so calm seemed to take the wind out of Lockwood's sails a bit. "Anybody else?"

"Yeah, but before I tell you his name I want to be guaranteed protection while I'm behind bars."

Garnett looked up from the legal pad where she had been taking notes. "We can arrange that."

"He's the one that put the whole deal together - name's Vasil Barkowski and he's here in LA."

"And is there anyone else?" She had written the name down and then looked up at him expectantly.

"No."

Matt spoke up again. "How about telling us who put the hit out on Clovis Anderson here at this jail?"

Lockwood gave a smirk. "Lynch." He watched as the PI nodded as did Holt and MacLemore.

Houston went to Hoyt's office after the meeting and waited on the couch for half an hour for him to come back from a meeting with the captain. The harried looking lieutenant jumped slightly as he caught sight of the PI out of the corner of his eye when he walked through the door. "Damn!" Putting a hand over his heart he rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "You scared the hell out of me." Grumpily, he took a seat behind the desk and pulled out the bottle of antacid, taking a swig as he looked over at his friend.

"Captain on the warpath?" Matt took a sip of the now cold coffee and made a face as he placed the styrofoam cup on the table.

"Yeah, he is. And we've got a problem. He won't approve anymore overtime for Jennings and Giovanni on the Barkowski deal."

"Bet he will."

"What part of what I just said do you not understand, PI?" He took another swig from the bottle and spilt some on his tie as Matt spoke again.

"Lockwood gave us Barkowski - and Mendoza _and_ Perrier." A grim smile followed the statement.

"Did he really?"

"Yup." The PI chuckled. "Matter of fact he seemed disappointed that I wasn't surprised in the least."

"Holy cow."

"I also figured out why my dear cousin is after me."

"Oh?"

"I killed his son down in Laredo when I was working with Chris Oakley. Shot him in the leg and he bled out before they could get him to the hospital." He stood and walked to the window and looked down on the street, his voice getting quieter. "Only seventeen years old."

"Did he shoot at you?"

"Yeah, and Oakley and the guy we were trying to bring in."

"So he got what he had coming to him." He watched as Matt stared out the window. "You aren't seriously feeling bad about it are you?"

The answer was a shrug.

"So what are you saying? That it would have been better if he had shot and killed you, Oakley, and the suspect?"

"No…"

"It sounds that way." He watched as the man rubbed the back of his neck like he was trying to work a kink out of it. "Headache?"

"Yeah...wish CJ was here." Matt turned back around to find the cop handing him a bottle of Tylenol. He took two and went toward the cup of coffee on the table as Michael started to replace it in the drawer. "Better take a couple of those yourself. You've gotta go deal with the captain again." Smirking, he went back out to the lobby for a fresh cup of coffee as Hoyt began cursing under his breath before picking up the phone on his desk and making a call up to the captain's office.


	4. Chapter 4

**04**

When Matt got back to the ranch that afternoon, he went about getting dinner ready for his guests. He had invited Lee and Bridget that morning and after the meeting with Lockwood at the jail that afternoon, he had invited Michael and his wife Anne, Rich and his wife Sherry, and Don and his wife Karen. A quick phone call to Mitchell Gunterson while on the way to the market had given him another guest.

Bo and Lamar met him as he pulled in and helped him haul the groceries into the house. The older cowboy spoke up. "Are CJ and the kids flyin' in tomorrow?"

"No." Matt began putting items away in the refrigerator.

"Bought enough to feed the whole crew." Bo handed over a jug of milk to his boss.

"I've got some folks coming over for supper tonight."

"Not one of the girlfriends that Placer woman talks about is it?" The younger of the two ranch hands backed away when he saw the boss' look. "Just jokin', pard."

"Not a good thing to joke about with me." He went to the big freezer in the laundry room and began pulling several steaks out, then taking them into the kitchen and putting the packages in water to thaw. "Y'all can come, too."

"Well, if there aren't going to be any girls here…" Lamar was grinning ear to ear.

"Oh, there will be. Bridget, Anne, Sherry, and Karen."

"Uh huh. Guess I need to call CJ." Bo removed a cake from one of the shopping bags and set it on the table.

Shortly before seven that night, cars started arriving at the ranch and Matt began cooking steaks on the grill. As everyone gathered on the patio the talk and laughter flowed and continued through the meal. When everyone was satisfied, Matt begged the ladies to excuse them for a little bit and led the men back to the home office. Once inside with the door closed, all joking was put aside and as they took seats, they looked to Matt who had taken the chair behind his desk. "I need to fill some of you in on what I've learned today so that you'll have a better idea of what we're dealing with." He began by telling them about his previous experience with Perrier, then about Barkowski, and then his adoption and how Diego Mendoza was his cousin. Last he told about the death of Safronio at his hands while in Laredo. There was complete silence. "So as you can see, we have three targets left. Michael, Lee, and Detective Giovanni have been keeping tabs on Barkowski, but he hasn't done anything that they can pounce on. Perrier was last known to be in Japan. And of course Mendoza is in Mexico."

Don MacLemore let out a low whistle. "So you've got a hell of a lot more to worry about than the Cicero investigation. Geesh."

Mitchell Gunterson scratched the end of his nose and raised his eyebrows. "What's your idea?"

"Well…" Matt stood and walked toward the windows that looked out toward the barn and then beyond to the Santa Monica Mountains. "We've already had two people to point the finger at Barkowski, but he's a slick son of a bitch: we want to be able to nail him down without the possibility of him wiggling out in court. I think that in order to do that, I'm going to have to do something to draw him out."

Michael nodded his head. "How?"

"Haven't figured that out just yet." The PI turned back around to face the group. "But there's one thing that I want y'all to keep in mind: I don't want _any_ of you…" He looked pointedly at Lee and Michael. "To do anything that will jeopardize your lives or careers."

"You better not do anything to jeopardize _your_ life, Matt." Michael stared darkly at him as the others mumbled their agreement.

"I've got a few good reasons to live, bud. You should know that." Matt gave a grim smile. "Now, maybe we better get back out to the ladies before they decide to start some trouble, whatcha think?"

When they went back outside, Bridget approached him. "Okay, you've been promising that you would tell us." Lee was grinning at her side.

"Alright." Matt stood in front of her, and gently laid his right hand on her belly, feeling the baby move. Closing his eyes he concentrated and everyone was silent. Slowly he began to smile. "It's a boy." A shout went up from the group, with bets being wagered.

"Okay, I'm about to decorate the nursery. You better be right."

"Or I'll never hear the end of it, right?" He laughed as she gave him a hug and peck on the cheek.

After everyone had left and Matt had the dishwasher loaded and running, he went into the den. It was quiet. Too quiet. He plopped down in his recliner and pulled out his phone, calling CJ. "Hey, Lil Mama."

"So how was your dinner party?" With her left leg propped up on pillows, she was sitting on one of the back porch swings looking up at the stars in the wide Texas sky.

"Went off without a hitch."

"And what about Bridget and Lee? Did you guess what the baby is?"

"It's a boy."

"Sure about that, are you?" She smiled.

"Yup." He paused for a minute, thinking about the child that they had just lost almost two weeks earlier when CJ suffered a miscarriage because of a tree that fell on the riding arena at the PH. "So are the kids behaving?"

"For the most part. Your sons have been a little rambunctious today. There's been a lot of wrestling going on."

"Oh, boy." He chuckled. "Bet they were pretty evenly matched, weren't they?"

"Absolutely. It's amazing how much alike they are. And how much they act like you."

"Is that good or bad?"

"It's a moment to moment thing." Both laughed again.

"I miss you, Babe."

"I miss you, too." She paused. "Maybe I should come up there."

"Nah, y'all are happy there. And safe."

"Yeah, but I worry about you."

"I'm okay."

"So did y'all come up with a plan tonight?"

"No. I just thought it would be best to bring everybody up to speed together."

"I'm glad that you did. Every single one of them needs the whole story. What about Alex?"

"I called him this afternoon. He's still in Texas dealing with Lynch and his mess."

He was feeling lonelier now than he had while finishing up his fire investigator training. "You take it easy, you hear?"

CJ used the henpecked voice. "Yes, dear."

"Guess I'm going to take a shower and hit the hay. I've got a lot of planning to do tomorrow."

"Okay. But call me. Love you."

"Love you more. Bye." He disconnected the call and the silence of the house surrounded him like a cocoon.


	5. Chapter 5

**05**

Saturday morning rolled around and Matt spent a little time down at the barn working with Bo and Lamar before heading back up to the house. Grabbing a cup of coffee, he changed into a pair of trunks and began swimming laps, letting the repetition of the exercise get his mind going on Barkowski and how best to draw him out. He thought back to the deaths of the Vice Squad undercover officer Marina Berger and of Lieutenant Jessimina Valencia. Berger had been working undercover at one of the Albanian's clubs and was found in an alleyway with her neck broken by someone who had only had to use one hand to accomplish the job. A short time later the lieutenant was killed when a two hundred and fifty pound parking stop had been tossed off of an overpass and crashed through the windshield of her car, killing her in a massively tangled wreck. Through facial recognition they had identified Viktor Kostandin, another Albanian who was apparently working for Barkowski. Lee and Gabby had yet to see him enter Barkowski's properties during their surveillance.

Changing to a back stroke he continued his workout, thinking next about Perrier or LaSalle or whatever he was calling himself these days. Lockwood had said that he was in Japan and that was corroborated by what they had found out about the calls that Barkowski had made on the burn phone. Matt had no contacts in Japan and the officials there were probably not going to be thrilled with an American private investigator coming into their country to hunt down another foreigner.

Matt changed to the breast stroke and turned his thoughts to Diego Mendoza. More than likely a trip to Mexico would be in order for the gang leader to be taken down. There were a couple of problems with that. First, Mendoza probably had people watching the border crossings and would most likely be notified as soon as Matt set foot on Mexican soil. Secondly, the gun laws in Mexico were stiff: certain firearms were allowed for home defense but most private citizens were not allowed to conceal carry. But knowing Mendoza, the gang was most likely using one of the loopholes in the legislation: land owners or farmers were allowed to carry in rural areas. Of course that didn't stop the gangs like Las Serpientes who probably had an extensive collection of weapons. There was no way he was going unarmed into a fight with his cousin.

He stopped at the side of the pool, wiping the water out of his face and slicking back his hair. Going to Mexico to confront Diego meant putting himself in a tremendous amount of danger. He had CJ and the kids to think about these days. But if the man was after him - and Matt felt sure now that he wouldn't be stopped if they took out Barkowski - the attacks might not just be against Matt himself: they might be made on the very ones that he sought to keep safe. The gang had a history of not being overly particular about innocents who got caught in the crossfire. _No_ , he thought to himself, _a trip to Mexico is definitely in the cards_. Exiting the pool he picked up the cup of coffee and stood looking towards the coast where a sliver of the Pacific could be glimpsed over the valleys of the mountain range.

He had a seat on one of the lounge chairs and began drying his hair. Barkowski really should be the next to go down. Maybe they could get Perrier's location from him. Of the three, Mendoza would be the easiest to locate. His ego wouldn't let him hide. _Especially_ , Matt thought as he took a long sip of the coffee and looked toward the ocean once again, _if he knew that I would be outnumbered._

When the coffee cup was emptied, he went through the house and back into the bedroom where he stripped out of the trunks and got into the shower. The steamy water flowed over him and he turned his mind back to Barkowski again. Lee and Gabby had done a ton of surveillance. And then it hit him: they had only been able to cover one entrance to the clubs and office of the Albanian at a time. A smile crossed his face and he knew what his next step would be.

Gabby Giovanni sat in the back of Houston's van that, through the miracle of the color changing paint it was covered in, was now black. She had the cameras on both sides plus the ones in the grill of the van covering the entrance to Barkowski's club where he spent the majority of his time. Their target had entered the club three hours earlier and had not once shown himself outside since then. Patrons continued to flock to the business on Sunset and Giovanni had noticed that the majority were repeat customers. Some showed up once a week, some twice, and some were there every single night. _These people need to get a life._ Her phone rang. "Hey, Houston. Nothing to report here."

"Nothing to report here either."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the office. But I put a couple of critters on light poles behind the club. It occurred to me that since there has only been one of you on surveillance at a time-..."

"Yeah, Lee and I were talking about that the other day. We had considered setting up behind the club, but…"

"Uh huh. I understand." He took a sip of the coffee. "I really do appreciate what y'all have done, Gabby."

"No problem. You've helped out the department more times than I can count. Plus, before I even got to LA from what I've been hearing."

"It's been a few years now." He chuckled, thinking back to when he had first met Vince and then Michael. "Michael sure has changed a lot."

"So I've heard. He's a pretty good guy. Got a lot of pressure on him from the higher-ups."

"He's awful glad to have you in the squad."

"Don't know why - I'm just another detective."

"You've got a lot of street smarts. Believe me, I've seen some come through that office that couldn't investigate the bottom of a chip bag." They both laughed and he checked his watch. "Guess I better call and tell the kids goodnight."

"Alright, talk to you later."

Matt said goodbye and then hit CJ's number. The call was answered on the second ring. "Hey, Cowboy."

"Howdy. Thought I would call and tell the hellions good night." He waited as she put the phone on speaker and talked to the kids for a few minutes before they said goodnight and were herded up to bed by Sheila.

"So how's it going?"

"I'm sitting here in front of BABY watching critter feed from behind Barkowski's club."

"Ah hah. So you decided to go that route."

"Yeah, the van's only been covering the front."

"No excitement yet, huh?"

"Nope. Just got off the phone with Gabby. She's got the duty tonight."

"When this is all over we really need to do something nice for her and Lee."

"I was thinking the same thing. Poor Michael's going to need a vacation."

"Stressed out?"

"Yeah. He's been hitting the antacid bottle big time." Both were quiet for a minute. "I feel bad, CJ. There are so many people involved in this now. If…"

"Matt, everyone who is involved has a job to do. It just so happens that what's going on involves them, too."

"I swear, if anybody gets hurt because of me…"

"It will be in the line of duty, hon. They knew the chances when they took the job - just like you, in case you've forgotten. You wear a badge, too. Plus, you took chances helping out Vince and Michael before you even became a deputy."

"Still…" He dropped the subject. "So how's the leg?"

"Not too bad, really. The worst part is the itching. And not being able to take a shower."

"Nah, you're fresh as a daisy, Babe." Both laughed again. "How are things going at the PH?"

"Really well. Ben's just about got the repairs done. The next hurdle is dealing with the building inspector again. I swear I think that man has it in for us."

"Maybe he watches the piranha on TV."

"Probably."

"Hang on…" Matt leaned forward and zoomed in the cameras on both poles. "Son of a bitch that's a big guy. That's gotta be Kostandin."

"Did he go inside or come out?"

"Came out…" He thought the situation over. "It won't do me any good to go running down there now. He'll be long gone by the time I get there."

"But now you know that he has been going there. Y'all could park the van around back tomorrow."

"I'm going to let Michael know. Talk to you tomorrow, Babe. Love you."

"Love you...and be careful."

"Yes, ma'am." He disconnected the call and punched in Hoyt's number. "Hey, Gramps. I just saw King Kong come out the back door of Barkowski's place."

"Did you now?" Michael had just sat down in his recliner and kicked off his shoes as Anne brought his dinner on a tray.

"Yup. I think I'll concentrate on taking him down and then maybe he'll turn on Barkowski. That would give us even more testimony against him. I think it just might work."

"That's a lot to take down." Both men laughed. "Just remember what happened when you got into it with that wrestler."

"He ended up dead and I ended up engaged." The PI let out a laugh. "Best thing that ever happened to me."

"So what's your plan for tonight?"

"Think I'll keep an eye on the back door of the club and see if anything else interesting happens. Tomorrow I'll be there in person to see what Kong is driving and where he goes."

"Better use the van."

"Don't think so. If he sees it following him it might ruin our surveillance on Barkowski."

"Just let me know." Hoyt took a sip of the iced tea as Anne sat down next to him.

"Will do. Y'all have a good night."

With the call ended, Matt crossed over to the bar and refilled his coffee cup, then took up his post in front of the computer and watched while he thought about the best way to proceed.


	6. Chapter 6

**06**

Matt slept in on Sunday, something that he didn't get to do too much these days. He knew the hours that Barkowski had been keeping thanks to the hard work of Gabby and Lee: Kostandin wouldn't be at the club that early. Crawling out of the bed around ten, he headed for the shower then dressed in a denim shirt and jeans along with his duty boots. A quick stop by the Burger Nerd and he was sitting behind Barkowski's club in the Dodge eating sausage biscuits and drinking coffee. He was parked toward the back of the lot about sixty feet from the door and had a clear view. There were a few other cars in the lot and he hoped that the truck wouldn't bring any undue attention.

Just before noon, a dark sedan pulled into the lot and out of it stepped one of the biggest men that Matt had ever seen. He was every bit of seven feet tall and near four hundred pounds from the PI's best estimate. Kostandin unlocked the back door of the club and entered.

Reaching over on the passenger seat, Matt picked up the pair of binoculars and jotted down the tag number in his notebook. He then opened up the laptop and ran the plate: 7VBR935 came back registered to Barkowski. He jotted down the make and model, a black 2016 Chrysler 300. Pulling out his phone he called Lee, who had surveillance duty that day. "Hey, Bud. I'm in the parking lot out back and just saw Kostandin. He is one big sumbitch." There was a laugh on the other end of the line.

"Your Texas is showing."

"Anyway, I ran the plate on the car…" He passed along the information. "Thought y'all might like to have that."

"Okay, I just wrote it down. So what's your plan?" The younger man was all business now.

"At the moment I'm just going to try to keep tabs on him. If an opportunity should present itself though, I might just make use of it."

"Not sure that's a wise thing to do by yourself. He's huge."

"Yeah... well, I'm probably quicker." He chuckled.

"Bet CJ wouldn't approve."

"She's not here. Anyway, just thought I would let you know. And speak of the devil, he just came back out. Looks like a road trip. Holler at you later." Disconnecting the call, the PI waited until Kostandin had pulled out onto Sunset before starting the engine and following. He caught sight of the Chrysler up ahead and tailed him to a taco joint on North Figueroa, pulling down Bartlett Street and parking. Cautiously he edged up to the side window of the restaurant, peering inside to see the hulking man at the counter placing his order. The PI went to the front corner of the building and took a look up the street. There were several construction trailers parked there and Kostandin had been lucky enough to find a parking place just past the last of the trailers. Taking another peek inside and seeing the man still at the counter, he hot-footed it out into the street, the temporary construction offices blocking him from view. He worked his way down to Kostandin's car and knelt down next to the driver's side rear tire, pulling a critter out of his shirt pocket. After turning it on, he carefully popped it inside the back bumper of the Chrysler and worked his way back to the corner of the building, noticing now that the big man was wedged in at one of the red picnic tables inside. As he got behind the wheel of the truck once more and activated the tracking device, he wondered how in the hell the giant of a man would be able to disentangle himself from the table.

The aroma of freshly made salsa, tortillas, chicken, beef, and pork wafted in through the truck windows reminding him of his home in Texas and of Madre Rosa's cooking. He immediately felt a stab of homesickness and regretted being away from the kids, CJ, and the diminutive housekeeper. But he also knew that if he didn't meet this problem head-on, it was possible that they would end up in danger. Madre Rosa had pulled him aside the morning that he had left headed to LA and he thought back now to their conversation.

" _Hijo, I know that you don't go to church anymore, but I know you still remember the prayers." She had reached into the pocket of her apron and removed a rosary. The smooth black onyx beads and St. Christopher centerpiece were cool when she placed them into his hand, folding his fingers back over them as she gripped down. "Remember that someone is always watching over you. And I pray for you everyday." She had pulled him down into a hug and kissed his cheek, brushing away a tear from the corner of her eye as he stood back up._ Reaching into his left shirt pocket he felt the velvet bag that now held the rosary, the touch bringing both reassurance and another pang of loneliness.

A beep from the computer brought him out of his thoughts and Matt looked at the screen. Kostandin was on the move again. He started the truck and slowly began following the giant as he went to the Angelino Heights section not far from the club. Matt slowed as the hulking man parked in front of a house, went through the front gate and straight inside. There was nowhere the PI could park without sticking out like a sore thumb, so he made note of the address and went on down the street and parked at nearby Echo Park. As he waited to see what Kostandin's next move would be, he ran a property search on the house. It was titled to a Selena Lagunov. His next step was to run a check on the woman. After making sure that Viktor was still at the house, he began reading the information on Lagunov: age 31, an American citizen since the age of ten when she had moved to the states with her family from a small village in Russia, and the mother of a six month old son named...he stopped. Apparently Kostandin and the woman were involved and had been for some time: the child's name was Viktor.


	7. Chapter 7

**07**

It was late Sunday night when Houston returned to the empty house, nosed through the refrigerator, and pulled out the ingredients for an omelette. While the skillet heated up, he chopped up a piece of leftover steak, some onion, and tomato and then whisked two eggs. As he assembled his late supper he thought about the day. He now knew, after tapping into the Department of Vital Statistics that Kostandin hadn't been named on the baby's birth certificate: no name had been entered at all. A search through other databases told him that Selena Lagunov didn't appear to be employed anywhere. While the eggs cooked, he went to the fridge for tortillas and cheese.

Sitting down at the kitchen table he tried to figure out if and how he might be able to use the new information to get to Kostandin. The big man had stayed at the house until six in the evening, gone to the club until half past ten, and then returned. Matt had cruised down the street half an hour later and found the house dark. He wondered if Kostandin lived there or was just staying over?

He finished the omelette, rinsed the plate and put the dishes into the dishwasher before wandering into the den. The silence in the house was oppressive. He went back to the master bedroom, showered, turned on the TV and fell asleep watching an old western.

"Mornin'." Matt had turned up at the Central Police Precinct Monday morning and was helping himself to a cup of coffee in the lobby of the Major Case Squad. Hoyt was yawning and looking like he hadn't slept much.

"Um." The lieutenant took a swallow of coffee and the pair entered his office.

"Found out a little information yesterday about Kostandin." Matt plopped onto the couch and filled the cop in.

"Very interesting. So do you know if he lives there?"

"I'd say it's possible. He was still there when I checked the critter on his car about half an hour ago."

"So what is your plan?"

He took a drink and sat staring into space. "Is it bad that I'm trying to figure an angle where I use the kid to get to him?"

"Nope. He's a bad guy. We use what we can." He watched the younger man. "What's eating at you, PI?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't know. It feels like I should be further along with taking these guys down. I'm fed up with being away from home."

Hoyt nodded. "So does this mean when Barkowski, Perrier, and Mendoza are taken down that you'll be moving?"

"I don't know." He got up and went to the window. "I just…"

"You miss your family. There's no shame in that."

"It's driving me crazy, Michael. I want to be there, but in order to take down these idiots I need to be here."

"You could bring them here."

The PI shook his head and blew out his breath. "I'm trying to keep them as unexposed as possible; they have more people to protect them there than here." He knocked back the rest of the coffee and began pacing.

"Your plan is to take down Barkowski, then Perrier and then Mendoza?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any contacts in Japan?"

"Nope." Matt plopped back down on the couch.

"You know if you _do_ go to Japan guns aren't allowed."

"Uh huh." He stared thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Same in Mexico: you can't take one down there."

"Uh huh."

"Matt…" The cop walked over to the couch and sat down. "What do you have planned for Mendoza?"

"I don't know." Looking over at the worried expression on Hoyt's face he gave a smirk. "Good thing I know karate, huh?"

"Smart ass."

"Still better than a dumb one." He snickered as the cop went back to his desk and pulled a pile of paperwork towards him.

"You know…" Matt got up and began pacing. "We've got Kostandin on video tossing the parking stop onto Valencia's car. That's capital murder - either the needle or life without parole. I think we need to go ahead and take him. If we keep waiting he could just up and disappear."

Hoyt stopped what he was doing and shoved the papers away. "I'll call Garnett about a warrant."

"And maybe he would drop Barkowski."

"And there's the way for you to use the kid."

"I'll see about keeping tabs on him."

"Matt, if he's still at the house I want you to stay at Echo Park until we can get the warrant and a team together." The answer was a nod as the Texan went out the office door.

Matt sat in the Dodge at Echo Park Lake keeping an eye on the BugBytes program that showed Kostandin's location as still being on Edgeware. He drummed restlessly on the steering wheel, checking his watch again: it was almost 9:30. He looked south and saw his van coming up the street. Lee and Gabby exited and strolled up to the truck and slid inside.

"Nice wheels." She looked around the cab. "What year is it?"

"1977."

"That's an oldie." Immediately Lee burst into laughter and Matt had a less than happy look on his face. "What?"

"It's a year older than him!" The younger man dissolved in laughter.

Matt gave a disgusted sigh and then shot Lee a grumpy look; the detective settled down a little bit. "Any word on the warrant?"

"The lieutenant said that ADA Garnett is working on it. So what does this house look like?"

Matt reached up to where the computer sat on the dashboard and pulled up an image of the house. "One story, front door, back door, three windows across the front, two on each side, and four across the back. It's got a fenced in yard all the way around. Doesn't look like the gate locks, though." Matt snatched up his phone immediately as it rang. "Yeah?"

"I've got it." Michael was putting on his vest as he rode down in the elevator. "Brad Langston and his SWAT team are going to join us. We'll meet you at the park."

"Alright. Gabby and Lee are already here with me."

"See you in a few." Hoyt hung up, fastening the velcro closures on the vest as he stepped out into the parking garage and made his way over to the SWAT vehicle.

Matt looked at his watch again estimating that Michael and the team should be there in less than ten minutes, sooner if they used the lights. It was doubtful if the siren would be used. He slid down from the truck and reached behind the seat for his vest as Gabby and Lee went to the van to retrieve their own. A few people in and around the park were giving him looks.

The SWAT team arrived shortly and Matt along with the two other detectives stepped inside the vehicle to bring Langston and his team up to speed on the location and layout of the target house.

Langston nodded. "Okay. Wessel, Maynard, Mauricio, Lopez: take the back. Bostwick, take the left side, Jamison the right. The rest of you will reinforce us on the front. Understood?" He turned to Matt as the officers all agreed. "Ready when you are. We'll follow you over there."

"Gabby, Lee: you two ride with Langston. We don't want the van spotted anywhere around there."

Michael left the vehicle and slid inside the cab of the Dodge with Matt. "At least you won't be facing him alone. I'm keeping my promise to CJ."  
"Oh?" Matt started the truck and put it in gear, glancing over at his friend.

"Yeah, she called me last night."

"Uh huh." He turned onto Laguna Avenue followed closely by the SWAT truck. "You didn't mention that this morning."

"Hmmm...must have slipped my mind."

"Old age will do that to you I hear."


	8. Chapter 8

**08**

On East Edgeware Houston pulled to a stop across from the house where Kostandin's car was parked, and he and Michael along with the other officers swiftly crossed the street. The SWAT members took up their assigned posts and Brad Langston did the knock and announce. There was no sound on the other side of the door. He knocked again with still no response. Giving a nod to an officer with a battering ram, he stood aside as the door was hit right next to the lock and flung open, the wood on the jamb splintering. The team made its way inside, clearing the house room by room including the attic. There was no one there. Matt swore loudly.

Going back out to his truck, he pulled the laptop to him and began checking to see if Selena Lagunov owned a car. Cursing himself he found that she owned a silver 2015 Toyota RAV4. Michael had joined him and took the information, calling clerk Merlin Jackson to have a BOLO put out on the vehicle. He turned to look at his friend who was near to boiling with anger.

"I never saw the Toyota. And I was too damn stupid to look and see if she owned a vehicle."

"Easy. We've got a BOLO on them. As far as we know they don't suspect anything, right?"

"Sure. But when they come home the neighbors are gonna say, "Hey, what was with the SWAT team at your house?" He cursed again, his fists balled up.

Langston had overheard the last part. "I'm going to get these guys out of here ASAP. That might help."

"Thanks for your help, Brad." Matt shook his hand and then climbed up into the cab of the truck. Hoyt stood by the window. "Give us a ride back to the van?" The answer was a nod.

Climbing into the truck along with Gabby while Lee hopped into the bed, Michael took another look at the man. "You need to calm down."

"It isn't your family that's in danger, is it?!" Matt lashed out, ashamed of himself as soon as the words had come out of his mouth. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. And yes it is my family."

Dropping the truck into gear, Matt left for the park. "I can't believe…" He shook his head.

"What? That you're as human as the next guy? Believe it."

They rode along in silence. It wasn't until they reached the park that Matt spoke.

"Son of a…" The PI looked thunderstruck.

"What?"

"There they are." Matt pulled into the curb at the park and looked across the lawn to see Kostandin walking along with Lagunov who was pushing a stroller.

Michael pulled out his phone instantly and called Langston. After telling the SWAT leader that the couple had been found and where, he hung up. "They're on the way back. Let's just hang tight."  
Matt shook his head as he surveyed the somewhat crowded area. "There are too many people here."

"We can't let him go." Hoyt watched as the couple continued their walk, totally unaware that they were being watched. The SWAT van pulled up in a couple of minutes and Langston approached the truck.

"What do you think is the best way to approach it, Brad?" Michael continued to watch the couple.

"Well, the vehicle is over there. We'll block it with our van to cut off that route of escape. I'd say the best bet is to rush them from behind and surround them."

"Let's do it." Matt slid out of the truck, his hand slipping down to the butt of his pistol as he and the others quickly walked across the green expanse of lawn toward the couple who were now standing at the water's edge. They automatically assumed a u-shaped formation and as they were within feet the other visitors had begun to murmur, catching Kostandin's attention. He turned to see the group moving in on him and a scowl covered his face when his eyes landed on Houston.

"Kostandin, you know why we're here." Matt was the first to speak and was carefully edging closer as the formation tightened around the big man. "We don't want anyone else to get hurt. Get down on the ground."

In a thick accent the giant of a man spoke. "The hell you say." His eyes darted around the group, then behind him.

"Your lady friend and the baby can go, Viktor. We won't bother them." He continued to edge closer. Kostandin reminded him of a bull that was trapped in a chute, the panic beginning to surface as he searched for a way to get out of the situation. More police cars were surrounding the park as he spoke and the man's expression was turning to extreme anger.

Kostandin looked behind him again as one of the park's pedal boats floated by, the two young women on board staring as they pumped the pedals. In an instant he was jumping for the boat and the women screamed.

Matt ran and dove into the water right behind Kostandin, grabbing his right arm while the man tried to reach for one of the women. He found himself immediately fighting as the huge man turned his attention on him and the women in the boat began quickly moving away from the pair as they struggled. Shouts from the officers on the side of the lake went up, none wanting to fire their weapons for fear of hitting the PI. Kostandin was doing his best to push him under the water and Matt took a big breath before going under and much to the giant's surprise, pulling him under as well. The temporary shock gave the Texan a chance: he put his arms around the bigger man's neck from behind and locked his legs around the Albanian's arms, pinning him. He continued until he could feel Kostandin's muscles begin to slowly relax. Fighting upward and bringing the man with him, Matt broke the surface and drew in a huge breath, grabbing with his right arm for a pole that three of the SWAT members were holding out to him. In just a few seconds he was being hauled from the water as was a semi-conscious Kostandin. Four pairs of handcuffs were quickly linked together to hold the big man's hands behind him as he was rolled onto his left side where he lay retching. After coughing up a good bit of water his eyes found Matt who was sitting on the grass a couple of feet away catching his breath.

While Kostandin was taken to the hospital to be checked out, Matt swung by his office for a shower and change of clothes and was nearly to Hoyt's office when the lieutenant called him.

"Kostandin is on his way back over here. A couple of Langston's boys are helping to escort him. He almost got loose at the hospital." There was a snicker from the cop. "Gabby tripped him when he tried to run. Now he's got a busted lip."

Matt gave a chuckle. "Be up there in a minute. I'm in the parking garage." He hung up and exited the truck, popping his ID around his neck and looking around for any sign of trouble. There was the honk of a horn and he turned to see a police department van pulling in next to the elevator. Lee Jennings exited.

"Push the button for us, please."

"Sure thing." Matt did as he was asked and watched as Gabby and four uniformed officers began unloading Kostandin from the back. The look he gave the PI was pure hatred.

Matt entered the elevator and held the door. Kostandin had been heavily secured: he still had four pairs of handcuffs draped across his back and his ankles were in two pairs of shackles: a heavy length of chain ran between the cuffs and shackles. The ride up to the fourth floor was a quiet one, with the PI hoping that the elevator could take the strain.

Hoyt was waiting as they exited and led the way down the hallway to one of the interrogation rooms where yet another chain was used to fasten him to the d-ring on the table. Matt leaned against the wall as the uniformed officers left the room.

Hoyt had a seat across from the man. "I know that you've already been read your rights but I'm going to-..."

"Shut up." The growl that came from the big man didn't stop Michael as he continued on with the Miranda warning.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, do you want to make a phone call?"

"And have you record it? No."

"As I just told you, you have the right to have an attorney present. If you don't want to call one we can have a representative from the Public Defender's Office-"

"No."

"Right. Gabby, would you make the call for Mr. Kostandin? He seems a little shy. Then go have a chat with Miss Lagunov." He waited until the detective had left the room. "Now, while we're waiting I'd like to tell you a little bit about why you are here. Last fall you killed an undercover officer from the Vice Squad. Then you killed the lieutenant over the squad."

"No."

"We have video of the parking stop incident that killed Lieutenant Valencia."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lee, would you do the honors?"

The young detective went over to a TV that was set up in the room and pushed a button, the footage taken from a security camera across the street from where Viktor had tossed the two hundred and fifty pound parking stop through the chain link fence that he had cut. There was silence in the room.

Matt finally spoke up. "You know that was really a stupid move, Viktor." His voice was very quiet and calm. The reaction was another hateful glare. "Barkowski sent you out to get rid of her. Now here you sit and he's free as a bird." The giant was still silent. "He doesn't have any kids, does he?" There was an almost imperceptible wince from Kostandin. "But you do. I took a look at him while they were loading your ass in the ambulance. Cute little guy. Sure hope you got a good look at him today. Might well be the last time you get the chance."

"You do not bring my son into this mess."

"I didn't bring him into it: you did." He let the thought hang in the air as Michael and Lee let him continue. "What is he? About six months? So I guess he rolls over and crawls by now, right?" The big man still didn't answer but the PI could tell that his words were hitting home. "Next thing he'll be pulling up and standing and then taking his first steps." There was another pause. "Too bad you won't see any of that." Kostandin looked toward the barred window.

"Selena is down the hall being interviewed right now. We thought Gabby would be the right one for that job. You know how girls like to talk. I wonder what she's going to have to say? That she didn't know anything about what you had done?" He walked over and blocked the man's view of the window and watched as he turned his head again, this time looking down at the table. "But just because she claims not to know anything, well…" Shrugging, he moved closer. "That doesn't mean that a judge will believe her. And then what will happen to little Viktor?" His voice had gone down deep, resonating around the room even though he wasn't speaking loudly.

"If anything happens to my boy…" Kostandin looked up at him, the glare once again flaring to life.

Matt kept his voice in the same low, gravelly tone. "If anything happens to your boy there won't be one Goddamned thing you can do about it."

Immediately Kostandin tried to pull against the chains that bound him but even with his strength the increased fortifications were too much for him, something that Matt was sure he had never encountered in his life.

"Meanwhile, Barkowski's ass is still free, living the life, rolling in money. He'll find another ape to do his dirty work and you'll be forgotten before the needle goes into your arm."

The big man gave another tug on the chain, pulling with all his might, the veins in his temples standing out and his face turning red as sweat began to roll off of him. After a minute he gave up.

Matt decided to go a little farther. "And there little Viktor will be: probably in an orphanage or foster home. Never knowing his parents. Never getting the love he deserves. And why? Because Vasil Barkowski didn't have the balls to take care of a problem himself. He put you up to it. And he'll get away with it, too...unless you make sure he pays up."

"I am not a snitch." The heavy Albanian accent fell on each syllable.

"Let's see how this equation balances out: you're not a snitch equals little Viktor becoming an orphan." Michael and Lee exchanged looks as the giant of a man put his head on the table. "So what's it going to be? You're a big man - you can carry Barkowski's weight but is it really fair to ask your six month old son to carry it, too?"


	9. Chapter 9

**09**

Carl Trenton and Lee Jennings were sitting in front of Barkowski's club while Richard Valdez and Jerome Kilgore watched the back. ADA Garnett was working to get an arrest warrant on the Albanian since Viktor Kostandin had agreed to turn state's evidence against his boss, allowing him to live to see his son grow up - even it was from behind bars. Now it was just a matter of waiting and keeping tabs on the man until they could slap the cuffs on him.

"I'm telling you, Houston played that guy like a fiddle." Jennings couldn't believe how quickly the big man had collapsed in the interrogation room under the pressure that the PI had put on him. "The LT told me to let Houston run with it when we got in there. He knew what he was talking about."

"I'll just be glad when we get this low-life locked up. Marina Berger was a nice girl. Worked with her one time." Carl took a sip of the Fizzy Pop and yawned. "Hey, he just came outside."

Barkowski had exited the club for the first time that night. Although the department was trying to keep the arrest of Kostandin quiet, video footage of the takedown had shown up on social media and then TV stations picked it up and had been broadcasting it on every newscast.

Trenton leaned back in the chair and stretched. "You think he'll try to make a run for it?"

"Don't know. The LT doesn't want to take a chance. Neither do I. This guy has made life a living hell for Houston for quite a while now." They watched as he ducked back inside.

Meanwhile, Matt was just leaving the police station with Michael to grab some dinner while they waited for word from Garnett. The pair drove to a Chinese restaurant on Flower Street about a block away from Houston's office. Both men were tired and ready to call it a day, but were holding out for the warrant on Barkowski to come through. They hit the buffet and had a seat at one of the tables, neither one feeling very talkative. After eating in silence for several minutes, the PI looked across at his friend. "You need a vacation."

Hoyt looked up and laughed. "You could use one, too."

"I just had a three month vacation, remember?"

"Recuperating isn't a vacation."

"CJ and I were talking about going to Tahi-" He didn't get to finish the sentence: gunfire erupted and the two men instinctively dove for the floor while simultaneously pulling their pistols. Matt spotted the cause of the commotion. Two young Hispanic males were standing in front of the door looking around the restaurant, both armed with automatic pistols. While most of the patrons had hit the floor there were a few who had just frozen in place, among them an older couple who appeared to be in their seventies.

Hoyt eased forward just a little bit so that he could get a better look as one of the men spoke.

"We know you're in here, Houston. Come out now and nobody else gets hurt."

The two friends exchanged looks and Michael shook his head no. Matt turned his attention back to the speaker who was slowly moving in their direction. He eased his pistol up and took aim at the young man's ankle and squeezed off one shot. There was a scream and the attacker hit the floor writhing in pain while his accomplice grabbed the arm of the elderly lady and pointed the pistol at her head. Hoyt couldn't get a clear shot on him, but Matt inched forward and drilled a shot right through his forehead. He dropped to the floor, a surprised look on his face as another scream went up from the other diners. The two friends eased out from under the table and as Michael called for backup and checked the headwound, Matt made his way over to the other shooter who was lying on the floor holding his right ankle, the pistol a couple of feet away. As he saw the PI coming toward him he made to reach for it. Matt's voice was very quiet but there was no mistaking the aggression in it. "Do it and you'll end up like your friend over there." The young man hesitated, looked at Matt and then lunged for it, finding himself with yet another wound, this one in his right butt cheek. He squealed as the older man kicked the gun away and knelt down next to him. "Are you one of Mendoza's boys?"

" _¡Vete al infierno, hombre!_ "

"You're going to wish you were there before I'm done with you." He pointed the muzzle of the gun right between the young man's eyes, causing him to go cross-eyed. "I asked you a question, boy." There was a nod. "You know what happened to the last three guys he sent after me?" The answer was a negative shake. "They're dead. Your _amigo_ over there makes four. I suggest you cooperate or you're gonna join them real quick. _¿Comprende?"_ There was an affirmative nod. "Good."

The sound of sirens filled the air and four officers entered the restaurant, cuffing the suspect who was still alive. Matt joined Hoyt who was checking to be sure that all of the customers were okay. Other than a few cuts from flying glass and being scared they were unharmed.

Two hours later after filling out a report on the shooting, Matt had fallen asleep on the couch in Hoyt's office, his long legs stretched out and his feet on the coffee table. Michael checked his phone for the hundredth time that night. There was still no word from Garnett and it was almost midnight. He looked over to where the PI was sleeping with a troubled look on his face, and walked over. Quietly calling his name, it took three tries to wake him. "Hey, come on."

"The warrant come through?" Through bleary eyes he looked up.

"Not yet. Doubt we'll get anything until morning. Let's go home."

"Mmmph. Think I'll just go catch some sleep in my office."

"No. You're coming home with me."

"Are you kidding? I can't do that to Anne and Kathy."

"Forgetting that we upgraded our security, too, huh? That's a sign of old age."

"Bite my old age." The PI stood up and stretched. "Sure Anne won't mind?"

"Shut up and come on. She's the one who suggested it earlier." He cracked up as they headed out to the elevator. "Just leave your truck here. Less chance of someone messing with it."

Hoyt pulled up in the driveway of his home to find that Kathy and Anne had both parked on the street. He could pull all the way to the back of the carport so that there was less chance of anyone seeing Matt. The Texan had stayed awake for the ride, his eyes constantly scanning the cars around them and his pistol resting on his right leg. They exited the car to find both Anne and Kathy waiting for them when they entered through the side door into the laundry room.

"Sorry to put you out." Matt spoke to Anne as Michael reset the alarm.

"Nonsense. The spare room is ready for you." She led the way down the hallway and Kathy opened the door for him.

"Uncle Matt, you look wiped out."

"Well, you look fresh as a Georgia peach." He gave her a crooked grin as she gave him a hug.

"Goodnight." Michael and Anne went on up the hallway to their room and Kathy gave him a peck on the cheek before going to her own room for the night.

Once inside he sat down on the bed, debating on whether or not to climb under the covers. Compromising by taking off his boots and stretching out across the bed, he was asleep in less than a minute, his last thought of CJ and the kids in Texas.

"Matt?" Michael gently shook the PI's arm. "We've got the warrant." He stepped back as the man quickly shot up off of the bed, clambering for his shoes. "Easy. We've still got surveillance on him. He's at home."

Houston looked at his watch: it was almost 6:30. "Let's go." He followed Michael out of the room and down the hall. As they rolled out of the driveway he placed the pistol on his thigh, his eyes looking for trouble again. They got to the precinct with no problems.

Going to his truck, the PI retrieved his vest from behind the seat and then joined Michael and Brad Langston's SWAT team in their vehicle. As he sat, he immediately pulled out his phone and called the house in Texas. CJ answered on the first ring and he could feel the tension in her voice.

"You didn't call last night."

"No, things got a little out of hand and by the time I could call it was late."

"You sound tired."

"I'm alright. Anyway, we're on the way to bring in Barkowski."

"Please be careful...and call me when it's done, baby."

"Yes ma'am. Love you. Give the kids a kiss for me."

"Love you, too." She breathed a sigh of relief. _Two down. Now for Perrier and Mendoza._ Standing, she eased the crutches under her arms and left the kitchen headed for the back porch. Madre Rosa was sitting on one of the swings snapping beans. "He called." She was smiling.

"I was getting worried."

"He and Michael are on the way to pick up Barkowski. With the help of a SWAT team, of course."

"That's really good news." Rosa looked a good deal relieved. "Why didn't he call last night?"

"I'm not sure. Apparently they were really busy." Now that she thought about it, the question of why they were so busy popped into her head. She glanced at the housekeeper who had been watching her.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No." Looking down she could see the kids romping on the playground that they had designed and built with Matt. They never seemed to tire of it and were very proud of the work they had done on it. "Think I'm going to do some snooping around on Perrier."

"Just be careful." Rosa watched as CJ maneuvered back into the house, the feeling that something was wrong tugging at her. She tucked her head, said a prayer, and went back to snapping the beans.

The SWAT van moved into the parking lot of Barkowski's condo and as the team members dismounted along with Houston and Hoyt, the detectives who had been conducting surveillance on the man overnight exited their vehicles and joined the group. The building was surrounded and both exits from Barkowski's unit were covered. Michael knocked on the door. "LAPD, Barkowski. Open up. We've got a warrant." There was no answer and he signalled the officer with the battering ram to make entry. The group surged into the home, clearing the rooms one by one with no sign of the man. Houston's temper began to rise once again as he looked around.

"Jennings!" Hoyt was furious.

"We never saw him leave, Lieutenant! I swear."

Matt paced around the living room. "Y'all saw him come inside?"

"Yeah, but he hasn't come out either door." Lee looked to Jerome Kilgore who had been watching the back and he nodded his agreement.

The PI went back through the house once again as did the others. As he checked out the bathroom the cabinet under the sink caught his eye: it wasn't completely closed. He grabbed Michael's arm and pointed to it. The pair moved toward the double vanity and as Matt pointed his pistol, the lieutenant snatched the door open. There behind the pipes an opening had been cut in the wall. The Texan slid into the cabinet and cautiously peered over the edge into the darkness. "Give me a light." He was handed a flashlight by Brad and carefully shown it into the opening and looked down, then slid his legs through and slipped down. There was a small thump. Michael followed immediately and as his feet hit the slab of concrete he could see his friend as he moved toward the western side of the home. In a second there was a flash of daylight and the PI let out with a string of oaths as he crawled out into the yard.

Anger made his voice shake. "He didn't go out the damn doors. See if we can get a K-9 out here, would you?"


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

CJ sat behind the desk in the study and thought about what they knew about Yvon Perrier. Or Pierre Philippe LaSalle. Or whatever he was calling himself. She thought back to the case that Matt had worked for Ben and Marcy Devereaux searching for their daughter who had gone missing around the time of Hurricane Katrina. He had nearly been run off the road by one of the employees of a strip club that was owned by Margo Perrier - the sister of Yvon. The investigation had come to a halt after Matt and Chuck had found Rachel Devereaux's body near property owned by one of the other owners of the club. Because of the damage that had been wrought by the hurricane plus the fact that it wasn't on his property, there was very little evidence to point to who had actually strangled her and no charges could be filed.

Taking a deep breath, she began looking through databases for Margo. She was still an owner of the club and apparently still lived in New Orleans. Digging a little deeper, the lawyer got into the records of the club. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Next she delved into the bank records of both the club and Margot Perrier. Once again, all looked normal.

She bit her lip, considered it for a moment, and then hacked into the woman's phone records as well as those of the club and copied all of the calls going back for a year. Settling herself a little more comfortably she began researching each number. It was going to take a while.

Back in Los Angeles, there were a slew of officers on scene at Barkowski's house and the surrounding neighborhood. K-9 units had been called in and a search was underway. A BOLO had been issued for him and the public information officer was gearing up to have the man's face plastered all over the news.

Michael and Matt were working with the first canine that had arrived on scene. The PI had tracked shoe prints from the crawl space opening under Barkowski's house to the edge of the property. They were now trailing the dog as he followed the scent of the shirt that had been collected from the man's hamper. Going north, the trail led them under I-10. The dog stopped, turned in a circle sniffing the ground and then sat, looking up at his partner. "That's as far as it goes, sir." The uniformed officer looked to Hoyt.

Matt ran a hand through his hair. "So he probably got in a car."

"I'd say that's it." The handler patted on the dog.

The PI turned in a circle looking for surveillance cameras on the property of the high school. "We need to get their video." He pointed and Michael nodded, pulling out his phone and arranging to get access to whatever the cameras may have recorded.

Matt walked up and down the street a little ways, his mind swirling in a dozen different directions. They caught a ride back to the precinct and he pulled his laptop from the truck before going upstairs with Hoyt. The video from the school was being brought to them by a patrol officer.

"I'd like to know how in the hell he got tipped off. Even with us busting Kostandin he stayed at the club last night then went home like usual. Lee and the others were careful, Michael. I don't think they tipped our hand. But someone did." He accepted a cup of coffee from the lieutenant and sat down on the couch, his expression changing as a thought occurred to him. "I wonder…" Pulling out the laptop, he began accessing the phone records of Barkowski and began sorting through the numbers. "That bitch."

Michael had been looking out the window. He now turned and moved across the office to Matt's side. "Who?"

"Placer…" He pointed to the screen. "She called him around two in the morning."

"We've already got a court order for his phone records so now we have her for obstructing." Michael stared at the screen in disbelief. "Why in the hell would she do that?"

"Why does the bitch do anything?!" Houston's voice shook with anger.

"I'm calling Garnett." The cop went to his desk and placed a call to the ADA's cell phone, explaining to her what had transpired that morning and what had been found in the phone records. He angrily hung up. "We can't prove that they didn't chat about pizza or hockey according to Garnett." A string of curses flowed from his mouth.

"But now that she's in communication with him…" The PI stood up and began pacing. "Maybe she's part of the investigation now?" He stopped and looked at the cop, who after pausing for a few seconds snatched the phone up again and called the lawyer back explaining Matt's thought. A smile crossed his face and he nodded at the PI who drew in a deep breath and seemed to relax.

Hanging up the phone, he swiveled in his chair. "She's going to be picked up for questioning." He watched as Matt nodded. "But you won't be anywhere near her. Garnett's orders."

"Oh, I won't be." He sat down on the couch with a new look look of thoughtfulness on his face.

"What?"

"I won't be here when she gets here."

"Where will you be?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe taking a look through her apartment."

"No."

"Yes."

"No. You could screw up any chance we have of prosecuting her for this crap."

"And do you really think you're going to get anything out of her? No. She won't say a word without her lawyer and he's not going to let her say anything either. You're not going to get jackshit out of her and you damn well know it."

"No." Michael approached him. "Listen to me: there is too much at stake for you to go off half cocked on this thing, Matt. You know it deep down."

"I'm doing it."

Hoyt removed his cell phone and dialed, then spoke to the person on the other end telling them what was going on. "Hang on while I put it on speaker." He punched the phone. "Go ahead."

"Matt?" CJ's voice came across the line.

"Yeah, Babe." He gave Hoyt an angry look.

"I completely understand why you want to go through her apartment. She's a bitch and she more than likely tipped off Barkowski about the warrant. But think about it: if she gets brought in for questioning it will make her look bad. What you need to do while they have her in interrogation is find out who tipped _her_ off: most likely the source will crumble before she will. Keep it all above board and you can take her down in the process of eliminating Barkowski. Are you with me?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah."

"Promise me?" She waited, knowing that he would never make a promise that he didn't fully intend to keep.

"Yeah, I promise."

"Now, I've got some other news for you that might just cheer you up." She leaned back in the chair in the study. "Guess who is no longer in Japan?"

"You're kidding." Matt and Hoyt exchanged a surprised look.

"Nope. He's in New Orleans. I cracked into Margot Perrier's phone records and found a number that is registered to him."

"How in the hell did he get back in the country?" Michael plopped down on the couch next to the PI.

"Think about it, Michael: we have a lot of folks in the country who aren't supposed to be here. They get in every single day."

"So he might have come in through Mexico."

Matt spoke up. "And he might have had some help from my wonderful cousin Diego."


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

Matt immediately made a phone call after talking to CJ, this one to reporter Giorgio Stavros. "Bud, I need a favor." He walked toward the window and brought his friend up to date on what had been going on, the Greek giving several loud exclamations that Michael could hear even though the phone wasn't on speaker. In less than five minutes, the PI hung up, a satisfied smile on his face. "Going to fight fire with fire. Thank God he's in town."

"So from the sound of it he's going to be here when Placer gets brought in?"

"Yup. See how she likes being hounded by the press. He's also going to tip off a few other trusted reporters - who also can't stand her." There was actually a giggle from the PI and Hoyt

himself laughed as there was a knock on the door and Gabby Giovanni entered along with a patrolman.

"Lieutenant, I have the surveillance video for you." He handed a disc over to the detective, was thanked profusely and then left.

"Gabby, I have a job for you." Michael explained the Placer connection. "I want you to find out who tipped her off. ADA Garnett is getting us a court order for her phone records."

"Yes, sir." She left the room.

"Who are you going to use to interview Placer?"

"Lee. I don't think I would be a very good choice." He popped the disc into his computer as Matt came around behind him to watch over his shoulder. "That way we can concentrate on the important matter: Barkowski." They watched the video and Michael fast forwarded to just after 2:00AM. Five minutes into it Barkowski could be seen approaching the area hastily on foot and getting into a cab that showed up. The cop zoomed in on the cab's number and immediately placed a call to Speedy Taxis.

The two friends exited at the cab company's headquarters at the corner of North Virgil and Melrose Avenue, hastily entering the building. The dispatcher looked up, saw the pair and immediately pointed to an angry looking man sitting in a folding chair just outside the office. "Mario Alvarado?" Michael approached him.

"Yeah?"

"We need to ask you some questions about a fare that you picked up just after 2:00 AM in front of the high school on South Vermont."

"What about it?"

"Where did you take him?"

There was silence and the dispatcher leaned through the window glaring at the man. "Tell him right now or your ass is fired and I'll see to it you never get another job in this town."

"The El Monte Airport up on Santa Anita. Flytime Charters."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"No."

Matt moved closer, leaned down, and got right in his face. His voice was very low. "If he did you better tell me right now."

Alvarado lost the attitude. "Yeah, he did. He told me if I told anyone he would hunt me down. So now I get to worry about that."

Matt stood back up. "If I get hold of him you won't have to worry." Turning on his heel he stalked out of the business and back to Michael's car, the cop sliding behind the wheel.

"Call Jackson and tell him we need backup." He started the car, hit the lights and took off toward the airport as Matt placed the call.

Meanwhile, a throng of reporters were gathered in the lobby of the police precinct as Lee and Carl - along with three female officers - brought in Placer, her hands in cuffs behind her back. Her hair was mussed and she was in a pink nightgown and robe along with fuzzy slippers. There wasn't a trace of makeup on her face. They took their time as they went past the reporters, all of whom were hammering her with questions as to why she was there. As they boarded the elevator, Lee made sure that the three female officers were still with them. Houston had made that suggestion to him before he had left the lieutenant's office. Given her track record it seemed like sound advice.

They entered an interrogation room and Lee unfastened one of the cuffs.

"You have no right bringing me here." She glared at him as she reached to rub the wrist where the cuffs had been snugged down, then had her hands snatched forward as he once again cuffed her, this time to the d-ring on the table. A string of curses left her mouth. "Let me out of here!"

"Would you like to call your attorney?" The young detective kept his tone very light and professional.

"What do you think, you moron?!"

He placed his cell phone in front of her and she hastily dialed a number, then had to lean forward to put the phone to her ear, obviously not wanting to put it on speaker. She threw the phone across the table when done and he placed it in his pocket. Turning on the charm he spoke to the reporter again. "Would you like some coffee?"

"That's the least you can do." She watched as he left the room, leaving the three female officers to stare at her.

He returned in a couple of minutes with a large cup of coffee. Silently, he set the cup down and produced another pair of cuffs which he used to lengthen her tether from the d-ring so that she could drink more easily.

"Now, would you like to answer a few questions?" He took a seat across from her.

"No, I would not. And there's absolutely no need for me to be handcuffed like some common criminal."

"Given your association with Vasil Barkowski it seems prudent."

"What are you talking about?" There was flicker of fear in her eyes.

"You contacted him early this morning. Now he's on the run."

"I...I don't know anything about that."

"It might be considered obstructing justice."

"I did no such thing."

"Who told you about the arrest warrant for him?"

"I'm waiting for my attorney."

"Fine." He watched as she began chugging the coffee, a slight smile on his face. When the cup was empty he offered to get more and she agreed.

Gabby met him as he was headed back to the interrogation room. "I'm about to pull in Mark Stanton."

Lee stopped in his tracks. "You're kidding me."

"Nope. I've got the phone records. He called her when he was on duty at the front desk downstairs."

"Holy crap. Mark...of all people. Let me know when you get him here. Maybe we can use it."

"Gotcha." She went to the elevator with Jerome Kilgore and the pair disappeared behind the sliding doors.

Lee entered the interrogation room once again, giving Placer a big smile as he set the cup in front of her.

"What the hell are you so happy about?"

"Oh, like the guy on the TV show used to say: I love it when a plan comes together. Your source is on his way in as we speak." He watched as fear shot through her eyes.

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." She began gulping down the coffee again.

Ten minutes later Lee was entering the room with yet another large cup of coffee and Gabby brought Officer Mark Stanton down the hallway, pausing with him where Placer could clearly see him. The reporter jumped to her feet and promptly peed her jammies. Lee turned to an officer out in the hall. "Call maintenance up here for a cleanup, please." He set the cup down in front of the reporter whose face was now beet red. An expensively dressed man made his way up the hallway, identified himself as Placer's lawyer and entered the room to find his client disheveled and damp.

Matt and Hoyt pulled up at the hangar that housed Flytime Charters flanked by five patrol cars. They entered the building, weapons drawn and at a run. The woman behind the counter let out a shriek and the lone customer in the lounge looked up from the magazine that he was reading, the color draining from his face.

"Down on the floor, now!" Hoyt yelled out the command and immediately ducked as the man drew his pistol and fired, moving behind the counter to grab the receptionist who once again screamed. "Drop it, Barkowski! You know it isn't going to work."

The salt and pepper hair glinted in the morning sunlight that flooded into the room through the front windows. "No, you're going to back the hell off and I'll just be catching my flight out of here."

"Not likely." Matt's answer was a growl.

"Unless you want to see this woman's brains all over the walls that's how it's going to go."

"You're screwed and you know it. Drop the piece." The PI continued to advance.

Barkowski adjusted his hold on the woman, moving the gun to press tightly against her right ear causing her to scream again. "Shut up!" He violently shook her.

"So are you ready to take the fall for Diego?" Matt stayed calm, although his voice was lower than Hoyt could ever remember hearing it.

"Finally figured out the family connection, huh?" Barkowski gave a laugh.

"Uh huh. We're also onto Perrier. If you're smart-"

"Oh, I'm smart alright. I won't be anywhere around." He began backing toward the rear door of the room dragging the woman along. She went completely white, her eyes rolled back in her head and she sagged to the floor in a heap, pulling him down in the process. He turned loose and took off for the door, screaming in pain as a bullet tore through his right knee and he hit the wall, dropping to the floor in agony. Houston and Hoyt advance on him. Looking at the pair, the man brought the gun up to his head and fired. Brain matter, blood, and bone showered over the walls and floor.

Matt holstered the pistol. "Good. Saved the taxpayers some money." He spied something shiny on the floor that had fallen out of Barkowski's pocket: a gold Zippo lighter with the Albanian coat of arms on it. Tucking it into his pocket, he went outside and drew in a deep breath. Another domino had toppled.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

"Babe - Barkowski is history." Matt was driving toward LAX.

"What happened?" CJ sat on the side of the bed where she had been about to rest for a while.

"We cornered him at a charter service at El Monte. He blew his brains out."

"First smart thing he ever did I guess." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Now what?"

"I'm going to head that way in a little bit."

She knew from the sound of his voice that he was tired. "Hon, do me favor: get Blake to fly you, please."

"I just called him."

"Good. Try to get some sleep on the flight down."

"I will." He paused. "I've missed you."

"Miss you, too."

"The kids okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Just come on home."

"See you in a few hours. Get some rest, too."

"Love you."

"Love you more." He disconnected the call and let out a long breath. It had been a wild couple of weeks. They had taken down Lynch, Lockwood, Kostandin, and now Barkowski. Perrier and Mendoza were still left and he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that they were going to be easy. Thanks to CJ's digging they now knew that Perrier was in New Orleans and for that Matt was thankful. He hadn't wanted to go to Japan and start a war with the man. The Big Easy was a lot better location for him.

The phone rang and he looked at the caller ID: Francine Martinez. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Congratulations. I just heard the news. Michael called me." She was standing at the big window in her office and looking down on Buffalo Bayou with the phone on speaker. "You've been busy."

"That's an understatement. I'm heading that way this afternoon."

"So what's next?"

"CJ found out that Perrier's in New Orleans. I'm going to see if George feels up to making a trip east."

"I'm sure he'll say yes."

"I think I'm going to sit down with him and CJ tonight to go over things."

"I want to be there, too. And you know Chuck will."

"Don't know about that. He's got enough responsibilities."

"See you in a while." She hung up, turning to look across the desk at Detective Chuck Wylie who had a serious expression on his face.

"Why does he do that to me?"

"He cares about you - and your family."

"He's been my family for almost thirty five years now. Whether he likes it or not."

"Your vacation time is approved." She took a seat.

"Don't remember turning in the paper work."

"You were just about to do that." Chuckling, she gave him a grin.

"Thanks." He left the sheriff's office and caught the elevator down to the squad room and went to the cubicle that he shared with Matt whenever he was there. As he pulled up the appropriate form on the computer he looked across at the desk on the opposite side. The nameplate read _Det. Sgt. Matt Houston_. What he had told Martinez was true: he and Matt had met on the first day of kindergarten and spent their entire K-12 years as nearly inseparable partners in crime. They had played baseball together, double dated, rebuilt that old Dodge truck together, and then spent time apart when Chuck had gone in the Navy and Matt went on to Rice University with CJ. Then just when Chuck had gotten out of the service Matt entered the Army. They didn't see each other for a few years but when the PI had looked him up a few years ago they took up right where they had left off - with one exception. Matt was always leery of getting his friend involved in anything dangerous. Even though he knew it was because of his wife Lisa and their five kids it still irked him.

He filled out the request for vacation time and sent it up to Martinez, then left the building and headed home, calling Lisa from the parking lot and informing her of his intention to go to New Orleans with Matt. She wholeheartedly agreed - much to his relief.

When Matt got to the hangar at LAX, he was surprised to see a couple of police cars there. He parked the truck and carefully walked toward the plane to see the same K-9 unit that he had worked with that morning now running a check on the G-550. "Guys, is there a problem?"

"No, sir. Lieutenant Hoyt asked us to make sure everything was a go for your flight."

The other pair joined the young officer and nodded to Matt. "All clear out here. Can you open it up for us?"

"Sure." Matt did so and stepped back, letting the men board the plane. Blake Walters pulled up to the hangar, giving Houston a questioning look. "Little extra security."

The pilot nodded. "Fine by me. I don't much care for surprises that go boom." They waited for a couple of minutes and then thanked the officers as they exited.

"So we're Houston bound, huh?" Blake tossed his bag into one of the closets.

"Yeah. Sorry for the short notice. It's been a crazy couple of weeks."

"No sweat. I'm always happy to help you out." The pilot went back down the steps of the plane and began going through the pre-flight check as Matt sank down onto one of the bench seats, his head in his hands. He was startled by a voice.

"Permission to come aboard." Gabby Giovanni stood with a duffel bag in her hand.

"It's a plane, not a boat. And what in the hell are you doing here?"

"I've got a little vacation time according to the lieutenant. He suggested that I might like to visit Texas and New Orleans and recommended your housekeeper's tamales and fajitas." She tossed the bag down and took a seat opposite him.

"Gabby, I appreciate it, but I don't want you to get in any trouble. Michael knows better."

"Apparently not." She looked around the jet. "Nice."

"I'm glad you like it. Now go on back to Hoyt."

"Nope. I'm hitchhiking."

"No."

"It's a done deal." She looked up as Blake entered the plane.

"Well, hello. I didn't know we were having company." His bright blue eyes sparkled as he got a look at the blonde detective. "I'm Blake and I'll be your pilot today."

Matt rolled his eyes at the pilot's cliché joke. "No, you won't. She was just leaving."

Giovanni took the offered hand. "Gabby."

The pilot looked between her and Houston who had a grumpy expression on his face, then gave her his best smile and a wink. "Buckle up for takeoff." He closed the door, popped Matt on the shoulder and went up to the cockpit. The PI swore.

"It's so nice to feel welcome." Giovanni gave him a cheesy grin. "Buckle up."

The jet was cleared for takeoff and was soon Texas bound. Matt offered the detective a drink, showed her where the lavatory was, and then stretched out on the seat. He was asleep in a few minutes, leaving the cop to wander up to the cockpit where Blake was happy to have company.

"Houston?" Giovanni shook him. "Blake says to rise and shine."

"Mmph." The lanky PI shook his head and sat up, buckling the seatbelt as he did so and then checked his watch.

"This thing is great!" She took a seat next to him and motioned around the plane. "What does something like this run?"

"Sixty million dollars." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, chuckling as he saw the shock on her face.

They landed and as they exited the jet Matt looked down to see Ben Devereaux waiting for them just outside the hangar. The cowboy tipped his hat to Giovanni. "Ma'am."

"Hi!"

"Gabby, meet Ben. He's the foreman of the PH."

"Nice to meet you." She slid into the backseat of the SUV as Matt took the front.

"Heard the good news." Ben got behind the wheel and started the trip back to the ranch. "CJ tells me you're going after Perrier next."

"That's the plan."

"Good." The foreman's normally smiling eyes were dark and Matt patted him on the shoulder before changing the subject. "Did y'all get your roof fixed?"

"Sure did. Gooder'n snuff." The reply brought a laugh from the backseat.

"You'll have to excuse her, Ben. She's originally from New York." Matt turned to look at the young woman who just stuck her tongue out at him. He pointed out areas of interest on the way to the ranch and laughed at the sound of surprise when she saw the Texas home.

"Oh, my God…" She slid from the SUV and was immediately set upon by the Houston children who took her by the hand and led her up the back steps to the porch where Matt and CJ were locked in an embrace.

He helped his wife to take a seat on the swing as Giovanni sat down opposite them. "Y'all give Miss Gabby some peace now. Go on and play." He shooed them down to the playground after receiving hugs and kisses from the mob. "Phew."

CJ smiled at Gabby as she spoke to her husband. "So you brought extra help. Good thing Tamara Placer doesn't know."

"Did Lee tell you what happened with her this morning?" Giovanni beamed.

"No, I never did talk to him. What?" Matt sat back with his arm around CJ's shoulders, his face going from mildly interested to shocked as the detective related the tale. Both of the Houstons laughed until they were beet red, wiping away tears as they began to calm down a little bit.

"Now that's something that I haven't heard much of lately." Madre Rosa came out on the porch and was immediately swept into a hug by the cowboy before being introduced to their guest. All four looked up as Chuck parked his pickup and came up the steps.

Matt shook hands with his friend and then introduced Gabby. "What's going on, pard?"

"I'm on vacation." He glibly made the remark and Giovanni feigned surprise.

"What an amazing coincidence - so am I. Are you planning to visit New Orleans?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Even have permission from the wife." The last was said with a pointed look at Matt who shook his head and looked at CJ. "The boss lady will be here about six."

CJ nodded. "So will George."  
Madre Rosa took that as her cue and went back into the kitchen to start on their dinner.

Matt spent some time that afternoon playing with the kids while Gabby and CJ watched from the porch and chatted. After dinner, he played his guitar for them with the agreement that they would go to bed without a fuss. They did and he joined the others in the study after tucking the kids in for the night. Madre Rosa brought a carafe of coffee into the study before going out on the back porch to enjoy the evening air, and the group got down to business. Matt and Gabby brought everyone up to speed on the happenings in Los Angeles, then CJ informed them of what she had found about Perrier .

George popped a mint in his mouth, his concession to the housekeeper who had nearly throttled him with a broom for smoking in the Houston home. "Sounds like they're dropping like flies."

"I wish it was that easy." Matt sat behind the desk and now propped his feet up on the surface.

Chuck was the next to speak. "So our next job will be to find out where Perrier is hanging his hat. Do you reckon he goes to his sister's club?"

"It's possible. My problem is that they know who I am."

"But they don't know me." George grinned. "Do I look like an old perv?" There was an appreciative chuckle.

"I really don't like the thought of you going in there alone." Houston exchanged a look with CJ and she nodded her agreement.

"They don't know _me_." Chuck spoke up.

"Pard, are you sure about this?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Alright. So you and George will be our pervs. I guess Gabby and I will work on surveillance elsewhere. But you two will be crittered when you go in there."

"What's your plan when we do find him?" The older man popped another mint in his mouth.

"Well, the Feds have him on their most wanted list. Alex will probably be joining us when we get there. He can handle that part."

"We're going to be glorified bounty hunters." Chuck gave a laugh.

"Something like that. Hopefully it will be that easy."

Martinez had been watching him the whole time. "And after Perrier? How do you plan to go after Mendoza?"

"Haven't quite got that one worked out just yet." He didn't want to announce a trip to Mexico and wished that she hadn't brought the subject up.

"Are you going down there?"

"Like I said…"

She cut across him. "I seriously doubt that he'll come up here for a family reunion." There was silence in the room as Matt stared at her. "And you can't take a gun to Mexico."

"I'm aware of that."

CJ broke her silence. "So you _are_ planning to go."

Sighing, he looked at his wife. "I don't have much choice in the matter, Babe."

Later that night as the couple lay in bed, Matt rubbed her back and kissed her neck. She reached back and took his left hand and held it. "We need to come up with a plan for Mexico."

"Yeah." He didn't want to even think about it.

"Maybe George can go with you."

"Maybe. But he isn't exactly a spring chicken." _And it's going to be dangerous as hell_ he thought to himself.

She tugged him closer to her and they drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

The group left out the next morning just after seven. Matt and Chuck were riding in Houston's white pickup and George and Gabby were driving a rental van that would be used for surveillance. Once they were on I-10 headed east Chuck looked to his friend. "We need to talk."

"Oh, boy."

"You and I need to come to an understanding. I don't need you to try to protect me."

"Pard, it…"

"No. Plain and simple. I may not have been Special Forces but I'm a damn good shot and have plenty of experience as a cop. Not exactly an idiot either."

"Nobody said you were an idiot."

"Then don't treat me like I'm not qualified."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - but if anything-"

"If anything happens it will be my own damn fault. Lisa already knows that. So don't do it anymore."

Matt nodded. They rode in silence for a few minutes. "I appreciate everything you've done, Chuck."

"I know that." He reached for the radio and turned it on, landing on a song that the pair started singing, and Chuck began playing air guitar.

Behind them George was driving the van and he and Gabby exchanged a look after seeing Chuck's performance. "What in the holy hell is that boy doin' up there? Looks like his cheese has slipped off his cracker."

Gabby burst into laughter. "It looks like he's playing air guitar."

"Younguns." The old PI shook his head, then smiled. "Houston could do with a good laugh."

"Yeah, he's been having a rough go of it."

"I'm worried about him. When he goes after Mendoza it ain't gonna be pretty."

"No. That guy is bad news. Hard to believe that they're related."

"Yeah." There was quiet for a few minutes and then he chuckled. "Did he ever tell you about the time he jumped an old Dodge pickup over Fentress Creek trying to impress his date - who just happened to be the mayor's daughter?"

"Oh, my God! Tell me!"

The group stopped in Lafayette at a Burger Nerd, Matt letting everyone order before he placed his own, which turned out to be only coffee and a turnover. He brought the overloaded tray to the booth that George had claimed and slid in next to Gabby. All three were shocked that he wasn't declaring war on a couple of burgers. "You feelin' alright, pard?" Chuck had noticed that after their initial antics when they first left Houston his buddy seemed to be awfully quiet.

"Yeah, fine." He took a sip of the coffee and looked out one of the windows.

"Are they going to bring the rest of your order?" George watched the younger man.

"No."

The other three exchanged looks and the mood turned somber. Matt only ate about half of the turnover and stared into the cup of coffee, not joining in on the limited conversation. He excused himself and hit the bathroom, being joined by George as he was washing his hands.

"Boy, is there something going on that I need to know about?"

"No." He dried his hands and started for the door, finding his way blocked by the older man.

"Out with it."

"Nothing's going on."

"Bull hockey." He watched as Matt reached for the door. "You're worried about Mendoza." There was no reply. "We'll find a way to get him."

"We need to get going." The voice was gruff as he grabbed the door and left the room, passing by Chuck who shot George a quizzical look and received a shrug for an answer.

The group checked into the hotel that CJ had reserved for them and claimed three connecting suites. Matt and Chuck were sharing a suite, with George and Gabby's accommodations on either side. They each stowed their gear and then met in Houston's room. He and Chuck were testing the security of the internet connection and once satisfied, set up a laptop. Matt showed them the location of Club Fun-n-Bun and pictures of Margot Perrier, and her business partners Robert Tremble and Dwayne Sachs. They had already seen photos of Perrier/LaSalle. There was a knock at the door and Matt checked his watch. "Must be Alex." He went to the door and admitted the FBI agent.

"Nice digs." He greeted the others and then had a seat. "I checked on that guy that tried to run you off the road when you were working down here last time - Royal Callisto: they let the bastard out about three weeks ago."

"Damn." Matt blew out a breath. "I was hoping for one less pair of eyes to worry about." He nodded. "Okay, we'll just go along like we were planning." He explained to the FBI agent that George and Chuck were going to be in the strip club.

"I could be a perv." The dark haired, dark eyed agent looked slightly offended as the others cracked up.

"If we need an alternate perv you're it." Matt finally laughed a little. "Anyway, they're going in crittered so we can keep tabs on them. Plus if they get an opportunity to plant some in strategic places…" He watched as the agent nodded. "I'm also going to try to get some up outside the club but that could prove tricky." His phone rang. "Excuse me. Hey, Babe…" He went back to the bedroom of the suite to take the call.

Alex kept his voice low and spoke to Chuck. "Is he okay?"

"Think it's just all the pressure. What with CJ getting hurt and everything else the last couple of weeks…" He looked toward the bedroom. "I think he could use a vacation."

"Maybe it will be safe for him to take one after Mendoza is dealt with."

It was decided that Chuck and George would hit the club about seven that night and after dark Alex would plant a couple of critters across the street. Matt and Gabby would work out of the van in one of the nearby parking lots. Before they all started out, Houston spoke to the group. "I don't want anybody taking any chances. If you get the feeling that something just isn't right, get out. These folks are killers." There was a nod of agreement and they all took off in the van. The nearest parking they could find was on Chartres Street. George and Chuck left the van first and eased over to the club and a few minutes later Alex left with a couple of critters in his pocket.

Inside the club, the two men both ordered a beer and had a seat at the bar, pretending to take in the show while watching for either Yvon or Margot Perrier.

Meanwhile, Alex strolled along Bourbon Street where the crowds of tourists were getting a little louder as time went by. He lounged against a streetlight across from Club Fun-n-Bun and casually checked for places to plant critters. He turned to look at t-shirts in a smoke shop and found a good place for one of the critters on a false window shutter and then on a downspout not far away. After going into the smoke shop and buying a shirt, he wandered back to the van.

While the others were doing their part, Matt and Gabby had set up a command post in the back of the van that had a tall roofline - but not quite tall enough to keep him from bumping his head. They had arranged several computer monitors along the sides and hung up a dark sheet to block any views from curious passersby from the front. Matt opened up his laptop and connected the monitors, then looked to Gabby.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret. It goes without saying that you don't breathe a word of this. The other guys already know, but it isn't really talked about unless we're in private."

"Okay." She watched as he pulled up the program for the satellite. "Holy...does Hoyt know about this?"

"Yup."

He moved the satellite to cover the New Orleans area. "Just in case." His phone rang. "Yeah, Alex?"

"Honey, I'm home. Open the door." He snickered as he disconnected the call. In a matter of seconds the back door of the van was eased open to admit him. "I got them planted." Watching as Matt activated the critters, he glanced at one of the monitors and saw the satellite photo. "So Gabby's in the club now?"

"Uh huh…" The PI checked the feed. "You did great, bud. Good clear pictures and they cover the front of the place perfectly." He clicked a few more keys and they could hear the music and conversation from inside Club Fun-n-Bun. Pulling out his phone he sent Chuck a text: _coming in loud and clear...just don't fart again._ Chuckling he waited for the reply which consisted of an emoji with a one finger salute. "Alright, we've got everything up and running." His phone rang. "Yeah, Babe?"

"How's it going?" She had just told the kids good night and was going into the study.

"Good. Everybody is in place and the critters are working. And you're on speaker so don't talk dirty."

"Great. I had an idea on how to get a critter into Margot's house."

"Oh?"

"I did a little looking into her finances again today and noticed that she gets packages from Nile Deliveries on an almost daily basis. We could have something sent to her. Honestly, I think the woman is a shopaholic." There was laughter in the van.

"Alright, why don't you pick out something nice and send it to her - anonymously of course."

"Of course."

"Great idea, Babe. Is everything okay there?"

"Just fine. Guess I'll do a little shopping on Nile. You be careful out there."

"Yes, ma'am. Love you."

"Love you, Cowboy." She hung up the phone and settled in behind the desk in the study, hacking into Margot's account on Nile. "God, she's got awful taste."

"You're talking to yourself." Rosa had come to the door of the study to check on her. "Who's got awful taste?"

"Margot Perrier. Come take a look." A giggle escaped the lawyer.

The housekeeper came around the desk and looked. "How do you know she has these things?"

"Because these are the purchases on her account."

"How..nevermind." She giggled and shook her head. "Ooooh, she needs another one of those awful lamps!"

"I believe you're right." A few clicks later she had bought the lamp.

"So what is this going to accomplish?" The housekeeper took a seat.

"Well…" She finished the transaction and leaned back in the chair. "The lamp will come here first. I'll attach a critter and fake the shipping documents then send it to her. Hopefully she'll put it out somewhere useful in her house."

"That's a great idea." She watched the younger woman. "How are you feeling?"

"Itchy. I will be so glad when this cast is gone."

"That's not what I was talking about."

CJ continued to look at the computer screen. "I'm okay." There was no reply and she looked up at the woman who had helped her through her teenage years as if she had been her own mother. "I'm sorry for being such a basket case at first."

"Nonsense. Anyone would have been upset."

"I…" She faltered. "I was so afraid that Matt would be upset with me."

"It wasn't your fault that the tree crashed on the arena."

"We got such a late start on a family...and I'm not getting any younger." She bit her bottom lip.

"You and I both know that there is no way he would ever blame you for losing the baby. And as far as more children - if you don't get pregnant again you can always adopt."

"Yeah."

"Everything will be fine. You just need to have faith."

Back in New Orleans, Chuck and George were working on their third beers since they had arrived. The older man leaned toward Chuck. "I haven't spotted any of our players yet."

"Nope." The deputy leaned back and stretched.

"You know, I remember the good old days before implants became popular." He watched as the younger man cracked up and snorted. Back in the van the other three were laughing at the comment, too.

Matt thought back to when he had been in the club last and was trying to think of the best place for a critter to be placed - that wouldn't put either man in danger. Finally, he texted Chuck again: _see if you can get a critter on top of the door frame going back to the john where it can't be seen._

Chuck read the message and then gave George a look. "Think I better get rid of a couple of these beers. Back in a minute."

"Don't fall in." The older man continued to look around.

On the way back out he casually stretched and attached the bug on the door frame like Matt had asked and came back out to the table yawning. "Think I'm going to call it a night, bud. How about you?" George nodded, arose from his seat and they walked out into the damp night where a light rain had started falling. When they reached the van, Alex opened the door and they entered. Gabby drove them back to the hotel and they went up to Matt's room. The PI looked at his watch: it was almost two o'clock.

"You did good, Chuck. That should get a good shot of anybody going to the back of the club. That way we won't have to have somebody in there all the time." He looked at the rest of the group. "Y'all catch some sleep. See you in the morning." George and Gabby left and went to their own rooms as did Alex whose room was across the hall.

Matt sat down at the desk and was going through the feed from the club since they had left and then brought it back to the current time.

"Pard…" Chuck walked toward him. "You need to get some sleep, too."

"Uh huh." There was no movement.

"C'mon."

"I'll go to bed in a little while."

"Fine." He sat back down on the couch.

"You can go ahead." Matt took his eyes off the screen and looked at his friend.

"You know, wearing yourself out isn't going to help the situation any; it'll just make it worse." He walked over to the bar. "How about a nightcap?"

Matt thought it over and nodded. "We can run through this in the morning. If we see he's been there then we know to go back."

"I knew you'd see it my way...eventually." Chuck pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's and poured two glasses. "To old friends." They toasted and took a seat on the couch. Matt took another sip, thinking that it had been quite a while since he had touched liquor.

"I know Martinez kind of jammed you up last night." Chuck took another sip of the Tennessee whiskey.

"Kinda pissed me off." He hadn't said it out loud until just then.

"She said what we were all thinking, though. Bad as I hate it, there's no way this is gonna end without you going down there."

"None that I can figure out." There was a hollowness in Matt's voice and Chuck looked over at him as he stared into the glass.

"We're gonna get him."

"I keep wondering…" He took a sip of the liquid and felt the fire travel down his throat into his stomach. "If I hadn't killed his son in Laredo…"

"If the little bastard hadn't shot at you he would still be alive." Taking another swallow he held the glass up to the light. "Remember the first time we got into the Black Jack behind your daddy's bar?" A smile went across his face.

"Yeah." Matt smiled as he thought back. "We were eleven."

"And CJ stood there telling us we were going to get in big trouble if Bill found out." Both men continued to laugh.

"He would have whooped us for sure if he had known." He took another drink and his expression turned sad once again. "I miss him. God, if I hadn't been such an idiot and got together with CJ sooner he could have enjoyed his grandkids." Shaking his head he stood and went to the windows that looked out over the Mississippi and the twinkling lights down below.

"She seems to be doing a lot better now."

"Yeah. Can't believe she thought that I could blame her for losing the baby, though."

"It happens." The detective swallowed down the last of the whiskey and stood up. "Let's get some sleep, bud. Tomorrow will be here before we know it."

Matt took down the last of the glass and looked back out over the river and the city. Somewhere out there Perrier was walking around a free man. _But not for long if I get my way._


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

There was a little shaft of light drifting into the room at the edge of the blinds. Matt felt it before he saw it. He opened his eyes, wondering for a few seconds where he was and then he remembered. Rolling over, he picked up his phone: 7:58. "Damn." He sat up on the side of his bed and noticed that Chuck was already gone. After a quick shower he emerged from the bedroom buttoning his shirt and found the rest of the group already assembled. "I'm sorry. I could have sworn I set the alarm for six."

"You did." Chuck handed him a cup of coffee. "I turned it off for you after you started snoring." The smirk on his face caused Matt to involuntarily chuckle. "Have a beignet."

"Thanks - I think." He motioned to the laptop where Alex was seated at the desk. "Anything?"

"Nope. Just a bunch of drunks and half naked ladies passing back and forth."

"Don't enjoy it too much. Your wife will get mad at me."

"Doubtful."

George poured himself another cup of coffee. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Margot's house. And if that doesn't pan out then Sachs and Tremble. Alex, look in the maps section of the documents file and pop up Margot's place." He turned on the TV and in a few seconds a map appeared. "She's at 1502 Camp Street in the lower Garden District. There's a little park right across from her house. I plan on putting up a critter there to keep an eye on things."

"Better let somebody else do the crittering." George took another beignet.

Alex spoke up. "Dibs."

"I thought maybe you could be a perv tonight. Maybe change up our perv lineup."

"Should he be by himself?"

"I think he and Gabby should enjoy a date night." Matt gave a crooked little grin.

"Fine by me." The LAPD detective grinned. "Your wife isn't anywhere around, is she?"

"Nope. In LA." He turned his attention back to Matt. "I can get the critter in the park. Need to go jogging."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Alright then." He looked to the map. "I don't want to commit resources to Tremble and Sachs if we don't have to - we've got enough to watch without them."

An hour later, George dropped Alex off a couple of blocks west of Margot Perrier's house on Camp Street with the agreement that he would pick him up at the far end of Coliseum Square Park, a distance of about a quarter mile. Dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes, the FBI agent had dampened the collar and pits of his shirt before getting out of the van. When he got to the Camp Street Park, he leaned against a tree as if out of breath and placed the critter that Matt had handed him before he left the hotel. After a minute or so of leaning over on his knees to catch his breath, he once again jogged east toward the other park and hopped into the van that was parked next to an elementary school. He called Matt and after being assured that the camera was working great, they returned.

Back at the hotel, Chuck and Matt were drinking coffee and watching the feed from the park. Margot hadn't been spotted but her car, a black 2017 Lexus IS, was in the driveway. Houston pointed to it on the screen. "We can critter that if we have to." Wylie nodded. Both men jumped when there was a knock at the door. Matt approached and looked through the peephole to find George and Alex. He opened the door. "Nice workout?"

"Kinda short." The agent plopped down on the couch as did George.

A long day of little change did nothing to improve Matt's mood as he stared at the monitors looking for Perrier and trying to come up with some sort of a plan for Mendoza. Getting into Mexico without Mendoza knowing was going to be tricky enough; getting into the country with a gun was also going to be tricky and the more he thought about it the more he decided that picking one up on the other side of the border seemed wiser. Either way, if he got caught with it by the authorities he would be doing time in a Mexican prison - a sure way for him to get killed.

Margot emerged from her home about two in the afternoon. It was after four before she arrived at the club. Irked because he had no clue where she had been for two hours, his mind was somewhat put at ease by Gabby.

"She's been to a salon." The LAPD detective looked to Houston.

"How do you know that?"

"See the bag in her hand?" Matt rolled the footage back and zoomed in: _Salon de la Nouvelle-Orléans_.

"Guess it pays to have a lady on the team." George winked at her.

By seven o'clock Gabby and Alex were entering the club on Bourbon Street while Matt, George, and Chuck were in the back of the van. A little after nine Chuck went on a burger run and came back looking slightly concerned. "Guess who parks in this lot?"

"Who?" Matt looked over at his friend as he took a burger and shake from him.

"Margot."

"Hot damn." The PI reached into his pocket and removed one of the critters that was strictly a tracking device and made to leave the van.

"Nuh uh." Chuck stopped him. "You're not going out there."

"It's dark."

"Gimme." George took the bug. "Need to stretch my bones anyway." He eased out of the van and found the car on the opposite side of the lot, made like he dropped his keys, and stuck it under the back bumper. After taking a stroll around the block he came back to the van. "Done."

"Thanks, bud." Matt had already wiped out the burger, and was fighting with Chuck over a box of fries.

"Good to see you got your appetite back. Now give me my damn burger." He snatched the bag away from the two younger men and began eating.

Just after one o'clock, Matt sat upright. "There he is." The atmosphere of the van instantly went from drowsy to on edge in a matter of seconds. He stood up and headed for the door of the van.

"What's the plan?" George had kept his pistol tucked in the back of his jeans and now checked it before replacing it.

"I want to get him in the back of the club - less chance for anybody else to get hurt." He turned toward the door. "Call Alex and let him know."

Chuck dialed the number and the two inside the club watched as Yvon Perrier walked inside. The FBI agent spoke into the phone. "He's inside. Going to the back."

The deputy relayed the message as all three men began moving north from the lot on Chartres Street toward Bourbon. The answer was a curt nod. Matt knew from looking at satellite footage that there was a small courtyard behind the building and his plan was to enter through the back door. In a couple of minutes they made their way past the building on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter, then through a tiny alleyway to the back door. "Tell him we're out here." The message was relayed.

Alex jerked his head toward the restrooms and along with Gabby, peeked around the corner to where the offices were located. "Nobody in the hallway." He quietly moved over and unlocked the door. The other three men entered, guns drawn. Matt led the way down the hall and paused outside the door to the office but heard nothing inside. It was then that they heard a disturbance at the other end of the hallway where the dressing room was located. Voices were raised and Matt caught a French accent. His face darkened and he moved that way.

As he was three quarters of the way down the hall, the door from the office opened up and Margot emerged, gun in hand. Gabby had heard the door open and turned to find herself face to face with the club owner.

"Who are you?" She demanded. "You…" It was then that she saw the pistol in the cop's hand and then noticed the others in the hallway. Immediately she brought her own pistol up and fired a shot at the back of Matt's head as he reached the doorway of the dressing room. The shot ricocheted off the wall, hitting George in the left arm and brought Yvon tearing out into the hall and straight into Matt.

The PI lunged for the man and the pair ended up in the floor, struggling over the pistol as Gabby punched Margot, knocking her back into the office and placing her in cuffs. Alex covered the doorway to the club. Matt received several blows from the pornographer as Chuck tried to intervene. Finally Houston tossed his pistol to the deputy and began pounding on Perrier with both hands. Three bouncers tried to enter the fray and found themselves staring down the barrel of George's gun. "You boys just back on out of here. Go on - if you know what's good for you." He leaned against the wall, guarding the entrance to the hallway as the struggle between Houston and Perrier continued for another minute.

Chuck tucked his pistol into the back of his jeans and hauled his childhood friend to his feet by way of his belt and the collar of his shirt. "He's out, pard. Good enough. Come on." Other than a busted lip and a couple of what would become bruises, the PI seemed unhurt. The same could not be said for Perrier who looked like his face had been rearranged.

Matt looked down at the man and picked up a lighter with a fleur-de-lis design on it that lay next to him on the floor. The PI popped it into his own pocket.

The sound of sirens could be heard outside the club as Matt's hearing came back to him. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath and then saw George was wounded. "Cuff the son of a bitch." He went to the older man as Chuck rolled the nearly unconscious Perrier over onto his left side and put him in handcuffs.

"George, sit down here." Matt grabbed a chair from the dressing room and tied a bandana around the older man's arm to staunch the bleeding. "Looks like a through and through."

After a couple of minutes of trying to identify themselves to the bewildered officers who arrived on scene, the group was led into the main part of the club that had now been emptied of its patrons. The dancers were huddled by the bar and were being questioned by uniformed officers as two detectives entered the building.

The older of the two looked to be near sixty with a pot belly and a nose that said he probably did a good bit of drinking. Matt instantly knew that the man was trouble: he had seen him on video from the night before entering the club and going toward the back offices.

"Who in the hell do you people think you are coming in here starting this crap?"

Alex showed his credentials. "We're part of the Child Exploitation Task Force. And you are?" He was getting a strong vibe from the man as well.

"Detective Cyril Duval. If the rest of these folks are FBI I'll eat my hat." He looked at George. "He sure as hell isn't." The old PI was receiving treatment from an EMT as was Yvon Perrier.

"Mr. McSwain is a private investigator who has been consulting with the bureau."

"Why in the hell weren't we informed of the operation?"

"We had to move quickly on the tip informing us of Mr. Perrier's location."

"And where did the tip come from?"

"A confidential source. You do know that he's been on the most wanted list for over a year? Shame you didn't spot him first." _Zing! You knew he was here, you slimeball!_ Alex moved away, exchanging a look with Matt. Very quietly he spoke to the PI. "I think he's dirty."

"I know he is." Houston angrily looked around toward the backroom where Margot was being removed.

"Hold up, there. Need my bracelets back." Gabby stopped the officers and took her cuffs back. Margot spat on her. "I'll be filing assault charges, too." She went to George who was pitching a fit about going to the hospital.

Bateaux squatted down next the older man's chair. "Go on and get it stitched up, George. Houston will go with you."

"Like hell I will." Matt looked surprised.

"Look at your knuckles, knucklehead." He watched as the PI looked down. The knuckles on his left hand had open gashes on them.

"No big deal."

Lowering his voice again, Alex spoke. "Do me a favor: keep George from causing a scene. And I don't want you around this Duval guy. Please."

"Okay." Matt turned back to his buddy. "C'mon, George. We'll get stitched up and you can find a pretty nurse." There were a few more grumbles as he helped to load the man onto a gurney and started to walk out of the club.

Duval had other ideas. "No, you're not going anywhere."

Alex stepped between the two men. "He will be available to answer questions after he gets patched up. Might have a concussion." He pushed Matt along out the door.

Bourbon street was a mess: crowds were thronged around the crime scene tape that had been strung in front of the club, it was pouring rain, and emergency vehicles were blocking most of the one-way street. A shout went up as a car, what looked to be an older model black Impala, ran up onto the sidewalk striking pedestrians and gunfire erupted. Matt shoved George's gurney behind an ambulance and drew his pistol. He was afraid to return fire for hitting any bystanders. One of the paramedics who had been attending to the old PI went down as did a couple of people who had gathered around the crime scene tape. The car was gone in a flash and two of the officers who had responded to the club took off after it.

Matt knelt down over the paramedic who had been shot, realizing as he did that it was no use. The man's chest had been ripped open by at least five shots: he was dead before he ever hit the ground. He left the man's side and went to the gurney where George was struggling against the safety belts.

"God damn it all to hell! Get me loose from this thing! I'm a sitting duck!"

"They're gone. Just calm down." He could hear as more sirens were responding to the scene.

Alex, Gabby, and Chuck had rushed out into the street after the shots had erupted and were now standing with their friends. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, but that paramedic is dead and it looks like a couple of folks in the crowd bought it." Matt lowered his voice. "I think that was meant for me."

Gabby nodded. "I know it was: the shooter had a snake tattoo on his forehead."


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

Three hours later, Matt and George were ferried to the police station on Royal Street. The young patrolwoman who was taking them spoke little, but kept a close eye on the pair. Matt spoke quietly to the older man. "You should have stayed at the hospital."

"No way in hell. A man can't have a gun on him in there."

"Alex wants you to keep your cool."

"I'm always cool." The glowering look with the statement caused Matt to crack up and the officer in the front of the car to once again worriedly look at them. Once inside the station they were taken up to the second floor and told to have a seat. Alex came out of an interrogation room looking calm but a little concerned.

"You two get patched up okay? I'm surprised they let you leave, George."

"No big deal."

"Uh huh." He looked down at Matt's left hand that was wrapped in bandages and the right that had a couple of bandaids on it. "Any problems there?"

"Not a one."

"Good." He sat down between them on the bench. "I've been talking to the other detective who responded to the scene - Franco Corti. He as much as told me that Duval is under investigation."

"There's some good news."

"Now, you're going to have to give a statement. Stick to the facts, don't elaborate, don't offer anything else." Both men nodded and looked up as Corti came out in the hallway with Gabby, the smile on his face not going unnoticed by the other three men. Chuck emerged from the bathroom down the hall and sat next to the others on the bench.

"Mr. Houston?" Corti offered his hand and the two shook. "If you'll come with me we'll get your statement."

Matt entered the room and as soon as the door closed the others put their heads together and began talking about what had happened outside the club.

"No doubt about it - the guy was Las Serpientes." Gabby now wore a worried look on her face.

"Well…" George shifted his left arm that was in a sling. "It's not like they haven't already tried, is it? We've been on the lookout for them the whole time we've been here."

"I was afraid they would hit you on the way from Houston." Alex drew in a deep breath. "I don't know how in the hell we're going to take down Mendoza. I'm sure there won't be any help at all from the other side of the border."

Chuck had remained quiet. "Don't know about that but I do know this: as soon as we can get done here and assuming we aren't required to stay in town, we need to blow for Texas."

"Agreed." Alex removed his ringing phone from his pocket. "Yes, sir?" He rolled his eyes and mouthed the word _boss_ before getting off the bench and pacing restlessly up and down the hall.

Twenty minutes later Matt emerged from the room and held the door for George. Everyone else had given statements already. The PI sat down heavily on the bench, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

Chuck placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, pard?"

"Those people died out there because of me."

"No, they died because of some idiots doing Mendoza's scut work."

"It's the same thing, Chuck; if I hadn't been there-"

"If you hadn't been there Perrier would still be in the wind. He would still be hurting little kids and women and anyone else he could get his hooks into. Bud, you took down one of the country's ten most wanted fugitives."

"We did. But that still doesn't change the fact-"

"The fact that none of this crap is your fault. You keep going back to the kid in Laredo and the answer is still the same: he shot at you, you shot back, he lost. He started it."

They were quiet until George came out with Corti. "Gentlemen - and lady - I appreciate your patience. I know it's late and I'm sure you're tired. If there are any other questions we'll be in touch with you."

Alex spoke for the group. "Just so we're clear, you don't need us to stay in town?"

"No."

"Thanks very much. Just call me…" He handed the detective one of his cards. "If there is anything any of us can do to help, let me know."

The group was ferried back to the parking lot on Chartres Street where they got in the van. Matt had already called ahead to the hotel and told them they would be checking out in half an hour and was assured that the bill would be ready for them. The group packed up, got into their vehicles and headed for the Texas line as fast as possible with the sunrise shining through the back windows.

Five hours later they pulled through the security gates of the Houston ranch and were met by the kids. Marty and the cowboys came through the pasture gate and went up to the house as well. CJ stood on her crutches at the top of the steps as Matt helped a grumbling George navigate the steps and turned him over to Sheila and Madre Rosa. "No matter what he says he's staying. We're not taking no for an answer so hush up, George." After the trio went into the house he pulled CJ into a tight hug.

"Do you think you'll be banned from New Orleans?" She gave him a smile, but the worry was plainly on her face.

"Don't really care." He helped her to sit on the swing and gave and received hugs and kisses from the kids who were thrilled to have Gabby back as well as a new friend in Bateaux. Matt watched as Sheila came out and herded them back down to the playground.

Ben and Marcy pulled to a stop behind the house and mounted the steps. Their faces were also a mixture of happiness and worry. Marcy came to Matt and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She wiped away tears as Ben shook his hand.

"I'm going to be straight with you." Matt accepted a glass of tea and a hug from Madre Rosa who passed around a tray before returning to the house. "We really don't know that either of the Perriers was responsible for Rachel's death. It could have been one of the partners. And I don't know what charges will be brought against Margot. Yvon, though…" He took a sip of the tea. "He's going down on federal charges. Most likely he won't see freedom ever again."

"Still, it's better than nothing." Ben drained half the glass of tea in one gulp. "We sure appreciate everything you did."

Matt nodded.

"We saw the news this morning - about what happened outside that place." Marcy looked worriedly at him. "They said that the shooter was possibly a member of Las Serpientes."

He nodded again. "Don't you worry about it."

Marty had stood silently while the others talked. "I won't rest easy until that Mendoza character is six feet under."

"Me either." Matt pulled CJ closer to him, kissing the top of her head. They had come so far in the last two weeks. Now there was only one thing standing in the way of peace of mind for them. And his name was Diego Mendoza.


End file.
